published_or_final_version / abstract / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The effect of softening due to vibrations induced on metals has been used in many industrial processes such as forming, machining and joining. These industrial applications utilize ultrasonic vibrations in addition to quasi-static stresses in order to deform metals more easily. The phenomenon of ultrasonic softening is also called the Blaha effect or acoustoplastic effect. Besides the macro-scale softening due to ultrasonic vibrations imposed on quasi-static deformation stress, sub-micron level softening due to vibrations was also observed in nanoindentation experiments in recent years. These experiments made use of the oscillatory stresses of the vibrations provided by the continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) mode of nanoindentation. Lowering of loading and hardness data has been observed at shallow indent depths where the amplitude of vibration is relatively large. Despite the common industrial usages of acoustoplastic effect and the observation of softening in CSM mode nanoindentation, the physical principle underlying is still not well understood. For acoustoplastic effect the existing understanding is usually one in which the ultrasonic irradiation either imposes additional stress waves to augment the quasi-static applied load, or causes heating of the metal. For the softening observed in CSM mode nanoindentation, the effect is either attributed to instrumental errors or enhancement of nucleation of dislocations which makes them move faster. Investigations on the link between microscopical changes and the softening have been rare. In this thesis, indentation experiments in both macro and micro scales were performed on aluminium, copper and molybdenum samples with and without the simultaneously application of oscillatory stresses. Significant softening was observed, and the amount of softening from macro to micro scale indentation of similar displacement/amplitude ratios is similar. The deformation microstructures underneath the indents were investigated by a combination of cross-sectional microscopic techniques involving focused-ion-beam milling, transmission electron microscopy and crystal orientation mapping by electron backscattered diffraction. Electron microscopy analyses reveal subgrain formation under the vibrated indents, which implies intrinsic changes. To further give physical insight into the phenomenon, dislocation dynamics simulations were carried out to investigate the interactions of dislocations under the combined influence of quasi-static and oscillatory stresses. Under a combined stress state, dislocation annihilation is found to be enhanced leading to larger strains at the same load history. The simulated strain evolution under different stress schemes also resembles closely certain experimental observations previously obtained. The discovery here goes far beyond the simple picture that the effect of vibration is merely an added-stress one, since here, the intrinsic strain-hardening potency of the material is found to be reduced by the oscillatory stress, through its effect on enhancing dislocation annihilation. The experimental and simulation results collectively suggest that simultaneous application of oscillatory stress has the ability to enhance dipole annihilation and cause subgrain formation. The superimposed oscillatory stress causes dislocations to travel longer distances in a jerky manner, so that they can continuously explore until dipole annihilation. In addition, microscopic observations showed that subgrain formation and reduction in dislocation density generally occurred in different metals when stress oscillations were applied. These suggest that the intrinsic oscillation-induced effects of softening and dislocation annihilation are a rather general phenomenon occurring in metals with different stacking fault energies and crystal structures. / published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Large strain tensile tests were carried out on OFHC Cu and 99.99% Al with the aim of determining the first and second order work hardening and rate sensitivity coefficients. The tests were performed at room temperature and 473 K and at constant true strain rates in the range 5 x 10('-4) to 10('-1) s('-1). With the aid of a diameter transducer, which was set up to measure and control the rate of reduction of the diameter of the tensile specimen, the strain rate at the minimum cross-section was held constant well beyond the point of maximum load. A second diametral sensor was constructed for use at elevated temperatures. In order to extend the range of conditions covered, constant strain rate compression tests were also performed on Cu at 698 K. In a further series of experiments, tensile tests were carried out on Cu and Al samples at 293 and on Al specimens at 473 K in which the flow localization process was followed by photographic means. / It was observed that the values of the rate sensitivity of the work hardening rate B(,(sigma)) beyond the maximum load are not negligible, but that they are less than 1, in opposition to the theoretical predictions of Kocks et al('(47)). Furthermore, it is shown that, contrary to the suggestion of these workers, the rate sensitivity at constant work hardening rate N is not the material coefficient that controls the growth of strain rate gradients at large strains. / The material coefficients determined using the diametral transducer were employed for the numerical integration of the second order differential equation describing flow localization proposed by Kocks et al('(47)). This equation was integrated at the minimum cross-section of the sample, and the solution is compared with the one calculated by integrating the first order differential equation proposed earlier by Jonas et al('(10)). As expected, the strain measurements obtained from the flow localization experiments are reproduced more closely by the second order solution than by the first order one largely because of the non-negligible values of B(,(sigma)). However, at large deformations, there is a discrepancy between the experimental observations and the predictions of the second order theory. This is attributed to the development of triaxial stresses at these strains. A possible modification of the second order treatment is suggested, based on the gradient in the Bridgman correction term.

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Thesis (Sc.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mining and Metallurgy, September 1967. / Archives copy is a reproduction from microfiche; issued in pages. / "August, 1967." Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-124). / by Henry Ralph Piehler. / Sc.D.

This study presents a novel methodology to characterize material plastic behavior within a practical range of stresses, strains, strain rates, and temperatures encountered in the metal cutting process. The methodology is based on integrating a newly developed analytical model with quasi-static tests and orthogonal cutting experiments that incorporate a laser heating system. Friction and heat transfer models are developed to describe the tribological and thermal interactions at the tool-chip interface. These models are implemented in a FEM package in order to improve the accuracy of the simulation of the machining process. / The new analytical model, which is developed to predict the distributions of the stress, the strain, the strain rate, and the temperature in the primary shear zone, is based on conceptual considerations, as well as characterization of the plastic deformation process through comprehensive FEM simulations. / Orthogonal cutting experiments at room temperature and preheated conditions were carefully designed. While the cutting tests at room temperature provided the constitutive data encountered in the primary shear zone, the preheated cutting tests were designed to capture the material behavior at the high level of temperature and strain encountered in the secondary shear zone. In these preheated cutting tests, a laser beam was employed. Quasi-static tests were also utilized to identify some of the coefficients in the constitutive equations, in order to improve the convergence to a unique solution for the constitutive law. / Evaluation criteria were developed to assess the performance of constitutive equations. Based on the developed methodology and the evaluation criteria, a new constitutive equation for Inconel 718 has been proposed. This constitutive equation was further validated by Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) tests and cutting tests in conjunction with FEM simulations. The SHPB test data show an excellent agreement with the proposed material model. The cutting tests and the FEM simulation results also proved the validity of the proposed material constitutive law.

No description available.