Tokuteru Uesugi

Grain boundary relaxation in fine-grained magnesium solid solutions

Grain boundary relaxation at elevated temperatures in fine-grained pure magnesium and Mg–Al solid solutions was investigated by measuring damping capacity at low frequencies. A sharp increase in damping capacity caused by grain boundary relaxation was observed at above a certain temperature. The onset temperature depended on aluminum content; the onset temperature increased with aluminum content. It was demonstrated that aluminum was effective in suppressing grain boundary relaxation in magnesium alloys. However, additional measurement of the damping capacity of a dilute Mg–Y alloy revealed that yttrium was more effective in suppressing grain boundary relaxation.

Accommodation mechanisms for grain boundary sliding as inferred from texture evolution during superplastic deformation

To gain insight into accommodation mechanisms for local stress concentrations produced by grain boundary sliding (GBS), we systematically examined texture evolution within a superplastic magnesium alloy undergoing deformation at a relatively low deformation temperature (at which basal slip is known to be the preferred slip system in magnesium). Although we did observe an overall weakening of the initial basal texture during superplastic deformation, we also observed within the interior of the specimen a convergent evolution that depends on loading direction. We attribute this texture evolution within the bulk to the competing effects of (a) orientation divergence due to grain rotation accompanied by GBS and (b) convergent evolution due to slip, which acts primarily as an accommodation mechanism for GBS. In contrast, at the near-surface, we found the initial orientation to be preserved, indicating that slip accommodation is less important near the surface than within the bulk.

Threshold stress for superplasticity in solid solution magnesium alloys

The effect of alloying elements on the threshold stress for superplasticity was investigated using two binary solid solutions, namely, Mg–Al and Mg–Y alloys. Both alloys exhibited superplasticity, and in spite of the absence of fine particles showed threshold-stress-like behavior. Different origins were suggested for the threshold-stress-like behavior after considering grain growth during deformation. The threshold-stress-like behavior in Mg–Al alloys originates from the effects of microstructural instability (grain-growth hardening). On the other hand, analysis of grain-boundary segregation suggested that the threshold-stress-like behavior in Mg–Y alloy originates from the segregation of yttrium in grain boundaries and its interaction with grain-boundary dislocations.

Grain Boundary Sliding of Ʃ5(001) Twist Grain Boundary in Aluminium Bicrystal from First-Principles Calculations

The grain boundary -surface surface (the variation of the grain boundary energy during sliding) is calculated at = 5 [001] twist grain boundary in aluminum to study the effect of the sliding direction on sliding characteristics of twist grain boundary at atomic level. The sliding behavior is more isotropical than that in tilt grain boundary. The energy peak of the grain boundary -surface is smaller than that of the -surface without the grain boundary.

First-Principles Studies on Grain Boundary Energies of [110] Tilt Grain Boundaries in Aluminum

The grain boundary structure and its energy are necessary for the fundamental understanding of the physical properties of materials. In aluminum, three distinct atomic structures of a Σ9(221)[110] tilt grain boundary have been reported in previous studies using atomistic simulations and a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). In this work, we studied the atomic structure and energy of the Σ9 tilt grain boundary in aluminum using first-principles calculations. A comparison of the grain boundary energies among the three distinct Σ9 tilt grain boundaries determined through first-principles calculations allowed us to identify the most stable atomic structure of Σ9 tilt grain boundary in aluminum.

Deformation Mechanism of Nanocrystalline Al-Fe Alloys by Analysis from Ab-Initio Calculations

Recently nanocrystalline Al-Fe alloys produced by a vapor quench method have been reported. These alloys are supersaturated solid solution and exhibit high strength with good ductility. It is postulated that the high strength of the Al-Fe alloys could be achieved by both the nano-grained structures and the solid solution strengthening. The contribution to the yield strength due to both the grain size strengthening and the solid solution strengthening were analyzed from the experimental data. Then the contribution to the yield strength due to the solid solution strengthening was estimated from the misfit strain calculated from the first principles in order to compare with analytical results estimated from the experimental data.

Materials Design for High-Strength Mg-Based Alloys by Understanding from Ab Initio Calculation

The applications of ab initio calculations for deformation mechanisms of Mg-based alloys are discussed. First, Peierls stress of pure magnesium is calculated from generalized stacking fault (GSF) energies obtained by ab initio calculations. Second, materials design is applied to develop new Mg-based alloys exhibiting high strength. The atomic size factors of some Mg-based solid solutions are calculated by ab initio calculations as a first step of searching most effective solute element for the solid-solution strengthening.

Tensile Properties of Bulk Nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-W Fabricated by Sulfamate Bath

Nanocrystalline materials with high strength have been reported in large numbers. In particular, there has been considerable research on electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni (nc-Ni) and nc-Ni alloys. However, reported data vary widely especially in ductility. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the true characteristic value of nc-Ni and nc-Ni alloys. In the present study, nc-Ni and nc-Ni-W was electrodeposited under different conditions in order to obtained bulk nc-Ni and nc-Ni-W with high tensile strength and good ductility. At first, bulk nc-Ni-W was fabricated using a sulfamate bath. Although the resulting bulk nc-Ni-W had inhomogeneous grain size and W-concentration, this sample exhibited plastic deformation behavior. Then, nc-Ni was fabiricated by four types of sulfamate baths. As a result, the nc-Ni obtained from a sulfamate bath containg added saccharine and 2-butyne-1,4-diol exhibited brittle behavior. In contrast, bulk nc-Ni obtained from sulfamate bath with a grain size of about 60 nm exhibited a tensile strength of about 1000 MPa and ductility of 8.8 %.

Fabrication of Homogeneous Bulk Nanocrystalline Ni-W Alloys by an Electroforming Process

Many studies have been conducted on mechanical properties in nanocrystalline Ni-W alloys. However, since these results are obtained in the specimens whose thickness is less than 100 μm and whose homogeneity is not strictly controlled, an inherent potential of the nanocrystalline Ni-W alloy may be hidden. Therefore, it is necessary to fabricate the bulk Ni-W alloy with sufficient thickness and homogeneity. In the present study, we develop novel electroforming process and fabricate the homogeneous nanocrystalline Ni-W alloys. The homogeneities of W-concentration in micrometer scale are confirmed by the W-concentration profiles obtained by the linear analyses of the energy dispersed spectroscopy (EDS). The single-phase nanocrystalline bulk Ni-W alloy with the thickness above 2 mm and minimized W-concentration gradient and fluctuation is featured for the first time.

Calculation of alloying effect on formation enthalpy of TiCu intermetallics from first-principles calculations for designing Ti–Cu-system metallic glasses

Abstract The effect of alloying on the formation enthalpy of TiCu intermetallics was investigated via first-principles calculations to propose a new design method for Ti–Cu-system metallic glasses. The calculation results showed good agreement with the reported experimental results that Ni, Pd, Sn and Zr improve this system’s glass-forming ability. According to the calculation results, a Ti–Zr–Cu–Ga system was designed as a potential new bulk Ti-based metallic glass, and a bulk sample with a 2-mm diameter was fabricated.