Shu Yan Zhang

Experimental/Modelling Study of Residual Stress in Al/SiCp Bent Bars by Synchrotron XRD and Slitting Eigenstrain Methods

The aim of the study presented here was to evaluate the residual stresses present in a bar of aluminium alloy 2124-T1 matrix composite (MMC) reinforced with 25vol% particulate silicon carbide (SiCp) using X-ray diffraction and 3D profilometry (curvature measurement using Mitutoyo/Renishaw coordinate measurement machine) and comparing these results with numerical models of residual strain and stress profiles obtained by a simple inelastic bending model and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The residual strain distribution was introduced into the test piece by plastic deformation in the 4-point bending configuration. At the first stage of this study the elasticplastic behaviour of the MMC was characterized under static and cyclic loading to obtain the material parameters, hardening proprieties and cyclic hysteresis loops. Subsequently, synchrotron Xray diffraction and CMM curvature measurements were performed to deduce the residual stress profile in the central section of the bar. The experimental data obtained from these measurements were used in the inelastic bending and FEA simulations. The specimens were then subjected to incremental slitting using EDM (electric discharge machining) with continuous back and front face strain gauge monitoring. The X-ray diffraction and incremental slitting results were then analysed using direct and inverse eigenstrain methods. Residual stresses plots obtained by different methods show good agreement with each other.

New insights into alloy compositions: studying Renaissance bronze statuettes by combined neutron imaging and neutron diffraction techniques

Until recently the inside parts of hollow cast Renaissance bronze statuettes were concealed, yet they hold important information on the production techniques used in the manufacture of these fine works of art. For that specific reason the inside of the sculptures have been made visible using a neutron imaging technique (tomography) at the Paul-Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland. This method allowed us to study the internal structure of a bronze sculpture and provided an indication of different material compositions. Since sample taking is not advised on these precious works of art, different non-destructive methods had to be investigated to obtain more specific information on the compositions of the inner parts. This research focuses on analyzing pre-determined small volumes selected from neutron tomographies. With this approach it has become possible to study the material compositions and crystalline structures of these statuettes with a millimetre-sized gauge volume placed at any selected point within the object, using time-of-flight neutron diffraction in the setup of ENGIN-X at the ISIS facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK. Analysis of a Renaissance statuette from the Rijksmuseum, a Striding Nobleman, gives evidence of the different copper alloy compositions of superficial and internal parts but also shows small amounts of ferrite present which until recently was not reported for Renaissance bronzes. The alloy is magnetic due to the ferrite, and strong rare-earth magnets were used to establish whether or not other Renaissance bronzes and brasses contain ferritic iron. A combined application of neutron techniques leads to a better understanding of the production techniques and will, in general, help to advance the analytical studies of these marvelous objects.

High-tech composites to ancient metals

Neutron diffraction methods offer a direct measure of the elastic component of strain deep within crystalline materials through precise characterisation of the interplanar crystal lattice spacing. The unique non-destructive nature of this measurement technique is particularly beneficial in the context of engineering design and archaeological materials science, since it allows the evaluation of a variety of structural and deformational parameters inside real components without material removal, or at worst with minimal interference. We review a wide range of recent experimental studies using the Engin-X materials engineering instrument at the ISIS neutron source and show how the technique provides the basis for developing improved insight into materials of great importance to applications and industry.

Neutron strain tomography using Bragg-edge transmission

Abstract Predicting the fatigue lifetime of components relies on a knowledge of the residual elastic strain present throughout the bulk of the material. Non-destructively mapping the complete strain distribution throughout large volumes presents significant practical challenges. Recently a technique known as Bragg-edge neutron transmission has been developed as a means of non-destructive bulk elastic strain evaluation. Whilst conventional radiography measures the integral absorption, Bragg-edge neutron transmission probes the average strain along the incident beam direction. A “strain radiogram” is thus a two-dimensional average projection of the strain within the sample. Here we demonstrate how strain radiograms can be used for “neutron strain tomography” and we present and contrast two different approaches to the problem of characterising spatially resolved elastic strains.

Synchrotron Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of Residual Strains around Friction Welds between Dissimilar Aluminium and Nickel Alloys

Friction welding processes, such as friction stir welding (FSW) and inertia friction welding (IFW) are popular candidate procedures for joining engineering materials (including dissimilar pairs) for advanced applications. The advantages of friction welding include lack of large scale material melting, ability to join dissimilar materials, and relatively low propensity to introduce defects into the weld joint. For these reasons FSW and IFW have become the subjects of a number of studies aimed at optimising the joining operations to obtain improved joint strength and reduce distortion and residual stress. In the present study we used the diffraction of high energy polychromatic synchrotron X-rays to measure interplanar lattice spacings and deduce nominal elastic strains in friction stir welds between dissimilar aluminium alloys AA5083 and AA6082, and in coupons from inertia friction welds between dissimilar nickel-base superalloys IN718 and RR1000. Energy-dispersive diffraction profiles were collected by two detectors mounted in the horizontal and vertical diffraction planes, providing information about lattice strains in two nearly perpendicular directions lying almost in the plane of the plate samples mounted perpendicularly to the incident beam. Two-dimensional maps of residual stresses in friction-welded joints were constructed. Apart from the 2D mapping technique, the sin2ψ method (transmission) was also used in the case of inertia friction-welded joint between nickel alloys. Comparison between the two results allowed the variation of the lattice parameter with the distance from the bond line to be deduced. It was found that friction welding of two dissimilar materials with significant strength mismatch may lead to the creation of a region of compressive stress in the vicinity of the bond line, in contrast with the behaviour observed for joints between similar materials.

Residual stress in laser bent steel components

The kinetics of plastic deformation and microstructural evolution, and the residual stress in particular, were investigated on the steel plates (SABS 1431) bent by laser beam. The steel plates were bent by different number of laser scans and therefore, each was bent to a different extent. The stress results obtained by x-ray diffraction (sin2ψ-method) show a higher compressive stress along the laser path than in the transverse direction. It was also found that stress relaxation occurs during multi-scan laser forming process and most importantly, that the stress is not significantly different in comparison to the stress, which initially existed in rolled steel plates. The metallographic analyses show that phase transformation, dynamic recovery and recrystallization processes occur during laser forming.

Oxford HEXameter: Laboratory High Energy X-Ray Diffractometer for Bulk Residual Stress Analysis

Diffraction of penetrating radiation such as neutrons or high energy X-rays provides a powerful non-destructive method for the evaluation of residual stresses in engineering components. In particular, strain scanning using synchrotron energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction has been shown to offer a fast and highly spatially resolving measurement technique. Synchrotron beamlines provide best available instruments in terms of flux and low beam divergence, and hence spatial and measurement resolution and data collection rate. However, despite the rapidly growing number of facilities becoming available in Europe and across the world, access to synchrotron beamlines for routine industrial and research use remains regulated, comparatively slow and expensive. A laboratory high energy X-ray diffractometer for bulk residual strain evaluation (HEXameter) has been developed and built at Oxford University. It uses a twin-detector setup first proposed by one of the authors in the energy dispersive X-ray diffraction mode and allows simultaneous determination of macroscopic and microscopic strains in two mutually orthogonal directions that lie approximately within the plane normal to the incident beam. A careful procedure for detector response calibration is used in order to facilitate accurate determination of lattice parameters by pattern refinement. The results of HEXameter measurements are compared with synchrotron X-ray data for several samples e.g. made from a titanium alloy and a particulate composite with an aluminium alloy matrix. Experimental results are found to be consistent with synchrotron measurements and strain resolution close to 2×10-4 is routinely achieved by the new instrument.

Inter-Granular Residual Stresses in Polycrystalline Aggregates: Finite Element Modelling and Diffraction Post-Processing

Most models based on continuum mechanics do not account for inhomogeneities at the micro-scale. This can be achieved by considering a representative volume of material and using (poly)crystal elasto-plastic deformation theory to model the effects of grain morphology and crystallographic orientation. In this way, the relationship between the macroscopic stress state and the stress state at the grain level can be investigated in detail. In addition, this approach enables the determination of the inhomogeneous fields of plastic strain, the identification of regions of localised plasticity (persistent slip bands), grain level shakedown, and the prediction of fatigue crack initiation using energy dissipation at the micro-scale. Elastic anisotropy is known to promote earlier onset of yielding, and to increase the magnitude of intergranular residual stresses. The effect of hardening behaviour of different slip systems on intergranular residual stresses is more subtle, as discussed in the text. The present study focuses on the analysis average intergranular residual strains and stresses that arise within the polycrystal aggregate following the application of single or cyclic external loading. These residual strains can also be evaluated experimentally using diffraction of penetrating radiation, e.g. neutrons or high energy X-rays, allowing comparisons with the model predictions to be made.

An Experimental Procedure to Determine the Interaction between Applied Loads and Residual Stresses

This paper presents a novel experiment to quantify both the initial residual stress state in a specimen and its redistribution due to plasticity induced by in-situ loading. The rate of relaxation of the residual stress with respect to permanent deformation is a measure of the elastic follow-up associated with the residual stress field. Residual stress measurements were made using high energy dispersive X-ray diffraction. Digital image correlation, verified by strain gauges, was used to measure full-field deformation on the specimen. The specimen was loaded and unloaded in-situ incrementally to promote plasticity, allowing the relaxation rate of the residual stress to be quantified. An elastic follow-up factor was calculated for the residual stress field, that indicated loading conditions of the residual stress field between fixed-displacement and fixed-load.

STRAIN GRADIENT POLYCRYSTAL PLASTICITY ANALYSIS: FE MODELING AND SYNCHROTRON X-RAY DIFFRACTION

The results of a strain gradient finite element model of polycrystalline plastic deformation in an HCP alloy were analysed in terms of orientation-related meso-scale grain groups. The predictions for meso-scale elastic strains were post-processed to construct energy dispersive diffraction peak patterns. Synchrotron X-ray polycrystalline diffraction was thereafter employed to record experimentally multiple peaks from deformed samples of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Model parameters were adjusted to provide the best simultaneous match to multiple peaks in terms of intensity, position and shape. The framework provides a rigorous means of validating polycrystal plasticity finite element model. The study represents an example of the parallel development of modelling and experimental tools that is useful for the study of statistically stored dislocations (SSDs) and geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) effects on the deformation behaviour of (poly)crystals.