Skip to main content
Log in

Microstructural Characterization of Mg–0.3Al–0.2Ca Alloy Using Ion Milling Surface Preparation Technique

  • Technical Article
  • Published:
Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Vickers microindentation and spherical nanoindentation tests were carried out on a polycrystalline Mg–0.3Al–0.2Ca alloy specimen. Specimens were prepared with chemical polishing and ion milling techniques. The electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) were used to study the plastic deformation inside and around the indents with a cold-field emission scanning electron microscope. The distribution of strain fields, slip lines, and twins was imaged on an indented surface. A crystallographic orientation mapping was performed to map the local crystallographic misorientation associated with channeling contrast variations. The chemical polishing technique was used to remove the material from the surface and allow the study of deformed microstructure at a maximum depth of the indent. The combination of ECCI and EBSD with chemical polishing and ion milling surface preparation techniques proved to be beneficial to study the indentation-induced plastic deformation in a polycrystalline Mg–0.3Al–0.2Ca alloy specimen.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. F.J. Humphreys, M. Hatherly, Recrystallization and Related Annealing Phenomena (Pergamon, Oxford, 1995)

    Google Scholar 

  2. J.L. Urai, F.J. Humphreys, S.E. Burrows, In-situ studies of the deformation and dynamic recrystallization of rhombohedral camphor. J. Mater. Sci. 15(5), 1231–1240 (1980)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. D.B. Williams, C.B. Carter, Transmission Electron Microscopy a Textbook for Materials Science (Springer, New York, 2009)

  4. D.C. Joy, D.E. Newbury, D.L. Davidson, Electron channeling patterns in the scanning electron microscope. J. Appl. Phys. 53(8), 81–122 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. C.J. Humphreys, The scattering of fast electrons by crystals. Rep. Prog. Phys. 42(11), 1825–1887 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. I. Gutierrez-Urrutia, D. Raabe, Dislocation and twin substructure evolution during strain hardening of an Fe-22wt.% Mn-0.6wt.% C TWIP steel observed by electron channeling contrast imaging. Acta Mater. 59(16), 6449–6462 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. I. Gutierrez-Urrutia, D. Raabe, Dislocation density measurement by electron channeling contrast imaging in a scanning electron microscope. Scripta Mater. 66(6), 343–346 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. I. Gutierrez-Urrutia, D. Raabe, Microbanding mechanism in an Fe–Mn–C high-Mn twinning-induced plasticity steel. Scripta Mater. 69(1), 53–56 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. A. Barnoush, Correlation between dislocation density and nanomechanical response during nanoindentation. Acta Mater. 60(3), 1268–1277 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. T.B. Britton, H. Liang, F.P.E. Dunne, A.J. Wilkinson, in The Effect of Crystal Orientation on the Indentation Response of Commercially Pure Titanium: Experiments and Simulations. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series A (Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences), vol. 466 (Royal Society of London, 2010), pp. 695–719

  11. A.J. Wilkinson, T.B. Britton, Strains, planes, and EBSD in materials science. Mater. Today 15(9), 366–376 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. B.A. Simkin, M.A. Crimp, An experimentally convenient configuration for electron channeling contrast imaging. Ultramicroscopy 77(1–2), 65–75 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. S. Kaboli, D. Goldbaum, R.R. Chromik, R. Gauvin, Electron channeling contrast imaging of plastic deformation induced by indentation in polycrystalline nickel. Microsc. Microanal. 19(06), 1620–1631 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. A.W. Czanderna, T.E. Madey, C.J. Powell, Beam Effects, Surface Topography, and Depth profiling in Surface Analysis (Plenum Press, New York, 1998)

    Google Scholar 

  15. J. Su, S. Kaboli, A.S.H. Kabir, I.H. Jung, S. Yue, Effect of dynamic precipitation and twinning on dynamic recrystallization of micro-alloyed Mg–Al–Ca alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng. 587, 27–35 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. A.J. Schwartz, M. Kumar, B.L. Adams, Electron Backscatter Diffraction in Materials Science (Kluwer Academic, New York, 2000)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  17. J. Goldstein, D. Newbury, D. Joy, C. Lyman, P. Echlin, E. Lifshin, L. Sawyer, J. Michael, Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Microanalysis (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2003)

  18. G.E. Dieter, Mechanical Metallurgy (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1986)

    Google Scholar 

  19. K.L. Johnson, Contact Mechanics (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1985)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  20. D.C. Joy, D.E. Newbury, P.M. Hazzledine, in Anomalous crystallographic contrast on rolled and annealed specimens. 5th Annual Scanning Electron Microscope Symposium Part I and Part II, Workshop on Biological Specimen Preparation for Scanning Electron Microscopy, IIT Research Institute, Chicago, IL, 25–27 April 1972

  21. S. Kaboli, P.T. Pinard, J. Su, S. Yue, R. Gauvin, Electron channelling contrast observations in deformed Mg alloys prepared with ion milling. IOP Conf. Ser. 55(1), 012007 (2014)

  22. S. Kaboli, H. Demers, N. Brodusch, R. Gauvin, Rotation contour contrast reconstruction using electron backscattered diffraction in a scanning electron microscope. J. Appl. Crystallogr. (2014) (submitted)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shirin Kaboli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kaboli, S., Goldbaum, D., Chromik, R.R. et al. Microstructural Characterization of Mg–0.3Al–0.2Ca Alloy Using Ion Milling Surface Preparation Technique. Metallogr. Microstruct. Anal. 3, 257–262 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13632-014-0149-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13632-014-0149-1

Keywords

Navigation