Correlations between a materials microstructure and mechanical behavior are important for materials development. As materials characterization methods must consider instrument accessibility, sample dimensions and economical aspects, developing functional techniques in order to obtain better understanding of materials behavior in micro and nano scale is crucial. Procedures for assessing and interpreting the mechanical responses at small scales, combined with investigating the microstructure, are considered as significant steps to design and develop the effective frameworks for evaluating bulk properties. This research demonstrates how fundamental understanding of microstructures can assist interpreting of mechanical performance of bulk materials. Testing of materials at small scales is very important because the mechanical failure of any bulk material starts with the formation, extension, or local accumulation of initially small defects, leading finally to a catastrophic fracture by an expanding crack. Thus, any bulk material profits from an in-depth understanding of its deformation and mechanical phenomena at the nano- and micrometer length scale.<div><br></div><div>This thesis shows how the micro constituents’ interactions and grain boundaries reactions to dislocations in alloys and thin films contribute to understanding material flow behavior and differences in the mechanical properties of these materials in a wide range of material systems with variations in appropriate sizes which need to be probed. Among other things, this work shows that sources of variation can be specified and quantified as predictive tools for designing materials. Several examples are presented. First, the strength and strain hardening of martensite and ferrite in a dual phase steel with a grain size less than 5 μm were determined using an inverse technique. The yield strength of the ferrite and martensite phases are obtained as 370 MPa and 950 MPa respectively. The calculated hardening exponent of the alloy was exactly the same as experimental tensile test results (0.11). The constraint phenomena was effective in restricting deformation of this elastic-plastic alloy. Secondly, the differences in hardness and pop-in behavior were used to understand of the influences of different types of grain boundaries, high density dislocations, and twins in Al thin films before and after plasticity. The third example assesses the strength of several species of diatom frustules for the first time using a combination of indentation techniques. Lightweight materials with densities well below 1000 kg/m3 demonstrated strengths on the order of 100’s of MPa. Finally, conditions for laser grown oxides and laser shock peening on a commercial steel which lead to an optical marking without a change in strength around the marking have been identified.<br></div>

Additive manufacturing technologies, particularly electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB/M), are becoming increasingly important for the processing of intermetallic titanium aluminides. This study presents the effects of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and subsequent two-step heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the TNM-B1 alloy (Ti–43.5Al–4Nb–1Mo–0.1B) fabricated via PBF-EB/M. Adequate solution heat treatment temperatures allow the adjustment of fully lamellar (FL) and nearly lamellar (NL-β) microstructures. The specimens are characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray computed tomography (CT), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The mechanical properties at ambient temperatures are evaluated via tensile testing and subsequent fractography. While lack-of-fusion defects are the main causes of failure in the as-built condition, the mechanical properties in the heat-treated conditions are predominantly controlled by the microstructure. The highest ultimate tensile strength is achieved after HIP due to the elimination of lack-of-fusion defects. The results reveal challenges originating from the PBF-EB/M process, for example, local variations in chemical composition due to aluminum evaporation, which in turn affect the microstructures after heat treatment. For designing suitable heat treatment strategies, particular attention should therefore be paid to the microstructural characteristics associated with additive manufacturing.