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Nanoindentation study of slip transfer phenomenon at grain boundaries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

T.B. Britton ,
D. Randman  and
A.J. Wilkinson
T.B. Britton*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
D. Randman
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
A.J. Wilkinson*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
*
a) e-mail: benjamin.britton@materials.ox.ac.uk
c) e-mail: angus.wilkinson@materials.ox.ac.uk
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Abstract

Nanoindentation was undertaken near grain boundaries to increase understanding of their individual contributions to the material’s macroscopic mechanical properties. Prior work with nanoindentation in body-centered cubic (bcc) materials has shown that some grain boundaries produce a “pop-in” event, an excursion in the load–displacement curve. In the current work, grain boundary associated pop-in events were observed in a Fe–0.01 wt% C polycrystal (bcc), and this is characteristic of high resistance to intergranular slip transfer. Grain boundaries with greater misalignment of slip systems tended to exhibit greater resistance to slip transfer. Grain boundary associated pop-ins were not observed in pure copper (face-centered cubic) or interstitial free steel ~0.002 wt% C (bcc). Additionally, it was found that cold work of the Fe–0.01 wt% C polycrystal immediately prior to indentation completely suppressed grain boundary associated pop-in events. It is concluded that the grain boundary associated pop-in events are directly linked to interstitials pinning dislocations on or near the boundary. This links well with macroscopic Hall–Petch effect observations.

Keywords

DislocationsGrain boundariesHardness
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , March 2009 , pp. 607 - 615
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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