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The effects of the finest grains on the mechanical behaviours of nanocrystalline materials

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Abstract

This article proposes a new constitutive model to account for effects of the finest grains, with sizes ranging from 2 to 4 nm, on the mechanical behaviours of nanocrystalline (NC) materials. In this model, the normal nanograins (ranging from 20 to 100 nm) were treated as though they were composed of a grain interior (GI) and a grain boundary (GB) affected zone (GBAZ). The finest grains were considered to be part of the GBAZ, denoted as super triple junctions (STJs). For the initial plastic deformation stage of the NC materials, a phenomenological constitutive equation was suggested to predict the deformation behaviours of the GBAZ. The formation of GB dislocation (GBD) pileups provides dramatic strain hardening in deformed NC materials and thereby enhances their ductility. Then, the constitutive equations to describe the plastic deformation of the GI and the GBAZ lattice region were established. In this stage, the GBAZ are already saturated with GBD pileups, and GI deformation is the dominant mechanism. Finally, the mechanical model for the NC materials with the finest grains was built using the self-consistent method, and an overall moderate “work hardening,” sustained over a long range of plastic strain, was predicted. The effects of TJs/STJs on the deformation mechanism were quantitatively analysed. The analysis demonstrated that the existence of the finest grains will simultaneously lead to good strength and good ductility.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Key Project of Chinese Ministry of Education (211061), Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, National Natural Science Foundation of China (10502025, 10872087) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK2007528).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China

    Lingling Hu, Ruxiao Huo, Jianqiu Zhou, Ying Wang & Shu Zhang

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China

    Jianqiu Zhou

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  1. Lingling Hu
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Correspondence to Jianqiu Zhou.

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Hu, L., Huo, R., Zhou, J. et al. The effects of the finest grains on the mechanical behaviours of nanocrystalline materials. J Nanopart Res 14, 677 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-011-0677-4

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