V. N. Chuvil’deev

Study of the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Nano and Ultradispersed Mechanically Activated Heavy Tungsten Alloys

Mechanisms of sintering and the structure and mechanical properties of nano- and ultradispersed W-Ni-Fe (WNF) and W-Ni-Fe-Co (WNFC) heavy tungsten alloys are investigated. The effect of tungsten particle sizes on the optimal sintering temperature is studied. The size of particles has been changed by the mechanical activation (MA) of the source W-Ni-Fe coarse-grained (CG) charge and by adding ultradispersed particles obtained using plasmochemical synthesis. Nanodispersed powders and ultradispersed powders (UDPs) have been sintered using the techniques of free sintering and pulse plasma sintering (PPS). It has been revealed that the dependence of the alloy density on heating temperature is nonmonotonic, with the maximum corresponding to the optimum sintering temperature. It has been shown that an increase in the time of MA and acceleration of grinding bodies in the process of MA accompanied by a decrease in the size of alloy particles and formation of nonequilibrium solid solutions lead to a reduction in the optimal sintering temperature. It has been shown that, using planetary high-energy milling methods and high-rate spark plasma sintering, it is possible to obtain ultrastrong tungsten alloys whose mechanical properties (macroelasticity stress and yield stress) substantially exceed analogous properties of commercial alloys.

Nanostructured crystals of Sr 1− x R x F 2+ x fluorite phases and their ordering: 6. Microindentation analysis of crystals

Hardness, crack resistance, brittleness, and effective fracture energy have been studied for crystals of 24 fluorite phases Sr1 − xRxF2 + x (R are 14 rare earth elements (REEs); 0 < x ≤ 0.5) and SrF2 grown by the Bridgman method from a melt. These characteristics change nonlinearly with an increase in the REE content for Sr1 − xRxF2 + x (0 < x ≤ 0.5) with R = La, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Lu; it is maximum in the range x < 0.1 for all REEs. The changes in a number of REEs have been traced for an isoconcentration series of Sr0.90R0.10F2.10 crystals (R = La, Nd, Sm, Gd, Ho, Er-Lu, or Y) and crystals (similar in composition) with R = Tb and Dy. The hardness of Sr1 − xRxF2 + x crystals is higher by a factor of ∼2–3 than that of SrF2. The effect of decrease in microstresses in SrF2 crystals is confirmed by the isomorphic introduction of R3+ ions into this crystalline matrix.

Superhard nanodisperse tungsten heavy alloys obtained using the methods of mechanical activation and spark plasma sintering

We have studied the structure and mechanical properties of nanodisperse tungsten-based heavy alloys of the W-Ni-Fe system. The temperature dependence of the density of compacted alloys exhibits a nonmonotonic character with a maximum that corresponds to the optimum temperature of sintering. The effect of the regime of solid-state pulsed spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the structure and mechanical properties of mechanically activated W-Ni-Fe heavy alloys has been studied. It is established that, using preliminary mechanical activation in a planetary ball mill and the subsequent high-rate SPS, it is possible to obtain superhard tungsten-based heavy alloys with mechanical properties that substantially exceed those of the analogous standard alloys.

Dispersion Limit upon Equal-Channel Angular Pressing. Temperature Effect

Experimental and theoretical results concerning the deformation refining of grains upon intense plastic deformation are reported. Experimental results on deformation dispersion of pure metals and alloys based on magnesium and aluminum are summarized. A model is developed to calculate the minimum grain size that can be obtained by the method of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). Expressions describing the grain refining limit as a function of material properties and temperature of intense plastic deformation are obtained.

Influence of the grain size and structural state of grain boundaries on the parameter of low-temperature and high-rate superplasticity of nanocrystalline and microcrystalline alloys

A model has been proposed for calculating the grain size optimum for the deformation of nanocrystalline and microcrystalline materials under superplasticity conditions. The model is based on the concepts of the theory of nonequilibrium grain boundaries in metals. It has been demonstrated that the optimum grain size dopt can be calculated as the size at which a high level of nonequilibrium of grain boundaries is combined with a high intensity of the accommodation of grain boundary sliding. The dependences of the quantity dopt on the rate and temperature of the strain and the thermodynamic parameters of the material have been derived. The results obtained have been compared with the experimental data on the superplasticity of nanocrystalline and microcrystalline aluminum and magnesium alloys.

Sparking plasma sintering of tungsten carbide nanopowders

Spark Plasma Sintering studies of the high-speed consolidation of pure tungsten carbide WC nanopowders have been carried out. The influence of the initial size of the WC nanoparticles and modes of their receiption the density, structural parameters, and mechanical properties of tungsten carbide are studied. Samples of high-density nanostructured tungsten carbide with high hardness (up to 31–34 GPa) and an increased crack resistance (4.3–5.2 MPa m1/2) are obtained. It is found that the effect of accelerating tungsten carbide nanopowder sintering under conditions of high-speed heating is associated with the acceleration of diffusion along grain boundaries in the sintered material. It is shown that the nonmonotonic dependence of the optimal sintering temperature on the initial grain size is caused by a change in grain-boundary diffusion coefficient in conditions of abnormal grain growth. It is found that the size of abnormally large grains in spark plasma sintering depends on the volume fraction of particles of the nonstoichiometric phase.

The effect of the local chemical composition of grain boundaries on the corrosion resistance of a titanium alloy

The influence of the structural-phase state of grain boundaries in a Ti4Al2V (commercial PT3V grade) pseudo-alpha-titanium alloy on its susceptibility to hot-salt intergranular corrosion (IGC) has been studied. It is established that IGC-tested alloy samples exhibit corrosion-induced defects of two types. More extended defects of the first type occur at the V-rich boundaries of coarse grains, while short defects of the second type reside at the grain boundaries with composition close to that of the grain body. The existence of the two types of IGC defects is explained by the classical theory of galvanic microcouples (microcells), according to which the IGC intensity is proportional to the difference of corrosion-active impurity concentrations between the grain boundary and body.

The effect of grain boundaries state on the thermal stability of a submicrocrystalline titanium alloy structure

The thermal stability of the structure and the mechanical properties of submicrocrystalline (SMC) titanium alloy Ti-4Al-2V (industrial designation PT3V) are investigated. The alloy was produced by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). It is demonstrated that the enhanced thermal stability of the SMC alloy structure is associated with a change in the concentration of aluminum at the grain boundaries during ECAP.

Mechanisms of bulk diffusion at high and low temperatures

A phenomenological model has been proposed for bulk self-diffusion and diffusion of interstitial atoms in the ranges of high (T > TD) and low (T < TD) temperatures (where TD is Debye temperature). It has been shown that the mechanisms of diffusion at high and low temperatures differ significantly. In the high-temperature range, the diffusion is provided by fluctuations, which can be described in terms of local melting, i.e., the formation of a “liquid diffusion channel.” In the low-temperature range, when melting for some reasons is hindered, the diffusion is due to the fluctuation formation of a “hollow diffusion channel.” The calculation of the activation energies of these processes in the case of self-diffusion agrees well with the experiment in the temperature range T > TD and has demonstrated that the activation energy increases significantly at T < TD. The calculation of the activation energy for diffusion of interstitial atoms in bcc metals agrees well with the experiment in the entire temperature range and provides an explanation of the decrease in the activation energy of diffusion at low temperatures.

Simultaneous increase in the strength, plasticity, and corrosion resistance of an ultrafine-grained Ti–4Al–2V pseudo-alpha-titanium alloy

The influence of severe plastic deformation on the structural-phase state of grain boundaries in a Ti–4Al–2V (commercial PT3V grade) pseudo-alpha-titanium alloy has been studied. It is established that increase in the strength, plasticity, and corrosion resistance of this alloy is related to the formation of an ultrafine- grained structure. In particular, it is shown that an increase in the resistance to hot-salt intergranular corrosion is due to diffusion-controlled redistribution of aluminum and vanadium atoms at the grain boundaries of titanium formed during thermal severe plastic deformation.