Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-09-20Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:35:21Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 suyama_di_me_ilha.pdf: 1507336 bytes, checksum: 25314bb28cba6a4bdcb4957ea5b7de49 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A usinagem é um dos processos de fabricação mais utilizados mundialmente. Com destacada importância no setor industrial, este processo se encontra em contínua evolução com o surgimento de novos materiais (com propriedades melhoradas), novas ferramentas (mais resistentes ao desgaste e de custo reduzido) e novas máquinas (mais rígidas, mais precisas e com maior nível de tecnologia embarcada). Neste contexto surgiu a usinagem com altas velocidades de corte que, apesar do surgimento na década de 1930, tem pesquisas realizadas no meio acadêmico e industrial, mais aberta e divulgadamente, há cerca de 20 anos. Entretanto, a maioria dos trabalhos refere-se, de um modo geral, a estudos sobre produtividade, custo, desempenho de ferramentas e máquinas-ferramentas, entre outros. Poucos estudos procuram investigar possíveis efeitos desse tipo de usinagem na integridade superficial do produto usinado. Em função dessa lacuna e do aprimoramento de processo de obtenção de aços ferríticos com grãos ultrafinos (com refino de grão em toda seção transversal), este trabalho visou descobrir se há efeito do fresamento com alta velocidade de corte (High-Speed Cutting - HSC) sobre a rugosidade quantitativa e visual, sobre o campo de tensões residuais presentes na superfície (mensurados por difração de raios X) e sobre comportamento em fadiga (através de flexão em quatro pontos) da peça usinada. Observou-se que, quantitativamente, a rugosidade melhorou 63% quando comparada à usinagem feita sob condições ditas convencionais. De modo análogo, o campo de tensões residuais (de tração para ambas as condições convencional e HSC) foi reduzido em 73% e a resistência à fadiga para um determinado número de ciclos foi elevada, porém com limite de fadiga igual para todas as condições de usinagem. Em suma, do ponto de vista do desempenho, a usinagem HSC provém melhorias significativas ao componente usinado / Machining is one of the most widely used manufacturing processes worldwide. With outstanding importance in the industrial sector, this process is continually evolving with the emergence of new materials (with improved properties), new tools (more wear resistance and low cost) and new machines (more stiffness, more precision and with a higher level of embedded technology). In this context came the machining with high speed cutting that, despite the rise in the 1930s, has researches conducted in academy and industry, with more emphasis, about 20 years ago. However, most of the works refers, in general, to studies on productivity, cost, performance of tools and machine tools, among others. Few studies seek to investigate possible effects of this type of machining on surface integrity of the machined product. Because of this gap on this subject and the enhancement of the process to obtain low carbon ferritic steels with ultrafine grains (with grain refinement throughout the whole cross section), this work searched whether there is effect of milling with high speed cutting (High-Speed Cutting - HSC) on the quantitative and visual roughness, on the residual stress field on the surface (measured by X-ray diffraction) and on the fatigue limit (by four point bending) of the workpiece. It was observed that, quantitatively and in average, the roughness reduced 63% when compared to machining done under stated conventional conditions. Similarly, the residual stress field (tensile for both conventional and HSC conditions) was reduced by 73% and the fatigue strength was improved, but with fatigue limit equal to all cutting conditions. In short, from the standpoint of performance, HSC machining brings significant improvements for the machined component

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-05-17Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:31:02Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 assis_clf_me_ilha.pdf: 4160188 bytes, checksum: af661727a1b0c2791d68616863a3adb8 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a influência das condições de fresamento na formação de cavaco, microestrutura, dureza e rugosidade da peça. Foi ensaiado um aço baixo carbono 0,15%C com dois tamanhos de grão distintos. Para ambos os materiais da peça, empregou-se 8 condições de usinagem variando a velocidade de corte, o avanço da ferramenta e a profundidade de usinagem visando à aplicação da Análise de Variância (ANOVA), dando-se destaque à usinagem considerada como alta velocidade de corte e convencional. Os ensaios de fresamento de topo concordante a seco foram conduzidos em um centro de usinagem CNC de 11 kW de potência e rotação do eixo-árvore de 7.500 rpm. Utilizou-se ferramenta de diâmetro 25 mm com dois insertos de metal duro revestidos com Al2O3. Os resultados apontam para uma influência dos parâmetros de corte sobre todas as variáveis de resposta, exceto a macrodureza. Velocidades de corte e profundidades de usinagem maiores causaram deformação da microestrutura do material “como recebido” próxima à superfície fresada. Os mesmos parâmetros governaram o aumento da microdureza superficial e da profundidade da camada endurecida. O material com grãos ultrafinos não apresentou deformação da microestrutura próxima à superfície fresada nem aumento de microdureza superficial. A velocidade de corte influiu apenas na profundidade da camada endurecida. A rugosidade foi inversa e diretamente influenciada pela velocidade de corte e avanço da ferramenta, respectivamente, sendo dependente também do tamanho de grão do material da peça. Os mesmos parâmetros de corte influíram de forma significativa no ângulo de deformação da microestrutura dos cavacos, cuja classificação foi dependente do material e das condições de usinagem. / This work deals with the influence of milling conditions on chip formation, microstructure, hardness and roughness of workpiece. A 0.15%C low carbon steel with two different grain sizes was milled. For both workpiece materials eight milling conditions were employed where cutting speed, tool feed and depth of cut varied and combined aiming at Analysis of Variance application. The machining conditions considered as High-Speed Cutting (HSC) and Conventional were focused. The milling tests considering down-milling and dry conditions were carried out in a CNC machining center with 11 kW power and 7,500 rpm spindle rotation. A 25 mm diameter endmill with two inserts coated of Al2O3 was used. The results indicated the cutting parameters influenced on all output variables except the macrohardness. Greater cutting speed and depth of cut caused deformation of workpiece microstructure with 10.8 um grain size near milled surface. The same parameters governed the increase of surface microhardness and hardened layer depth. Refined grain material did neither present deformation of microstructure near milled surface nor increase of microhardness. The cutting speed influenced only on depth of hardened layer. Roughness was inverse and directly influenced by cutting speed and tool feed, respectively, and dependent on grain size of workpiece material. These parameters also influenced on deformation angle of chip microstructure which were classified as continuous for 10.8 um grain size and segmented for the ultrafine grain, in this case just for some milling conditions.

Resumo: A usinagem é um dos processos de fabricação mais utilizados mundialmente. Com destacada importância no setor industrial, este processo se encontra em contínua evolução com o surgimento de novos materiais (com propriedades melhoradas), novas ferramentas (mais resistentes ao desgaste e de custo reduzido) e novas máquinas (mais rígidas, mais precisas e com maior nível de tecnologia embarcada). Neste contexto surgiu a usinagem com altas velocidades de corte que, apesar do surgimento na década de 1930, tem pesquisas realizadas no meio acadêmico e industrial, mais aberta e divulgadamente, há cerca de 20 anos. Entretanto, a maioria dos trabalhos refere-se, de um modo geral, a estudos sobre produtividade, custo, desempenho de ferramentas e máquinas-ferramentas, entre outros. Poucos estudos procuram investigar possíveis efeitos desse tipo de usinagem na integridade superficial do produto usinado. Em função dessa lacuna e do aprimoramento de processo de obtenção de aços ferríticos com grãos ultrafinos (com refino de grão em toda seção transversal), este trabalho visou descobrir se há efeito do fresamento com alta velocidade de corte (High-Speed Cutting - HSC) sobre a rugosidade quantitativa e visual, sobre o campo de tensões residuais presentes na superfície (mensurados por difração de raios X) e sobre comportamento em fadiga (através de flexão em quatro pontos) da peça usinada. Observou-se que, quantitativamente, a rugosidade melhorou 63% quando comparada à usinagem feita sob condições ditas convencionais. De modo análogo, o campo de tensões residuais (de tração para ambas as condições convencional e HSC) foi reduzido em 73% e a resistência à fadiga para um determinado número de ciclos foi elevada, porém com limite de fadiga igual para todas as condições de usinagem. Em suma, do ponto de vista do desempenho, a usinagem HSC provém melhorias significativas ao componente usinado / Abstract: Machining is one of the most widely used manufacturing processes worldwide. With outstanding importance in the industrial sector, this process is continually evolving with the emergence of new materials (with improved properties), new tools (more wear resistance and low cost) and new machines (more stiffness, more precision and with a higher level of embedded technology). In this context came the machining with high speed cutting that, despite the rise in the 1930s, has researches conducted in academy and industry, with more emphasis, about 20 years ago. However, most of the works refers, in general, to studies on productivity, cost, performance of tools and machine tools, among others. Few studies seek to investigate possible effects of this type of machining on surface integrity of the machined product. Because of this gap on this subject and the enhancement of the process to obtain low carbon ferritic steels with ultrafine grains (with grain refinement throughout the whole cross section), this work searched whether there is effect of milling with high speed cutting (High-Speed Cutting - HSC) on the quantitative and visual roughness, on the residual stress field on the surface (measured by X-ray diffraction) and on the fatigue limit (by four point bending) of the workpiece. It was observed that, quantitatively and in average, the roughness reduced 63% when compared to machining done under stated conventional conditions. Similarly, the residual stress field (tensile for both conventional and HSC conditions) was reduced by 73% and the fatigue strength was improved, but with fatigue limit equal to all cutting conditions. In short, from the standpoint of performance, HSC machining brings significant improvements for the machined component / Orientador: Alessandro Roger Rodrigues / Coorientador: Ruis Camargo Tokimatsu / Banca: Hidekasu Matsumoto / Banca: Anselmo Eduardo Diniz / Mestre

Les particules ultrafines (PUF) sont de nos jours susceptibles de se retrouver massivement dans l’air des lieux de travail et dans l’environnement, notamment de par leur génération non-intentionnelle par certains procédés industriels. Du fait de la toxicité de plus en plus avérée de ces particules, l’air contaminé doit être extrait des lieux de travail et filtré avant d’être rejeté dans l’atmosphère. Les filtres classiquement utilisés sont des filtres à fibres plissés présentant l’inconvénient vis-à-vis des PUF d’être rapidement et irréversiblement colmatés. Afin de trouver une alternative à ces filtres, il a été décidé d’étudier les lits granulaires. Pour ce faire, la cinétique de colmatage des lits granulaires par des PUF a dans un premier temps été étudiée à l’échelle macroscopique et microscopique par suivi des évolutions des performances ainsi qu’en procédant à des observations de structure de dépôt. Evaluer la capacité des lits granulaires à se positionner en tant qu’alternative aux médias fibreux peut nécessiter la connaissance des performances des lits granulaires dans un grand nombre de configurations. Pour s’affranchir des expériences correspondantes, un modèle théorique de prédictions des performances des lits granulaires en cours de colmatage a été développé. Ce modèle a par la suite permis par une optimisation multicritère de trouver la configuration optimale d’un lit granulaire amélioré. Enfin, des essais préliminaires très prometteurs d’une manche granulaire permettant d’augmenter la surface de filtration et l’efficacité de collecte ont posé les bases d’une potentielle utilisation des lits granulaires pour la filtration de PUF dans l’industrie / The air of workplaces and the environment can be contaminated by ultrafine particles (UFP) coming mainly from a non-intentional generation emitted by some industrial processes. The toxicity of these particles being more and more admitted nowadays, the polluted air of the workplaces has to be extracted and filtered in order to protect the workers and the public, respectively. The commonly used filters are pleated fiber filters which are rapidly and sometimes irreversibly clogged by the UFP. In order to find an alternative to these pleated filters, it was decided to study the granular beds. To do so, the clogging kinetic of granular bed by UFP was studied. This was achieved by conducting both macroscopic and microscopic studies of the granular bed clogging consisting in the monitoring of the evolution of the performances and in performing visualizations of UFP deposit structures. Evaluate the ability of granular beds to be an alternative to fiber filters can require the knowledge of the granular bed performances evolution for a large number of configurations. In order to avoid the realization of the corresponding experiments, a theoretical model was developed. Then, this model permitted by a multi-criteria optimization method to find the optimal configuration of an improved granular bed. Finally, some preliminary and very promising tests of a cylindrical granular bed filter permitting to increase the surface filtration and the collection efficiency laid the groundwork of a potential use of granular beds for the industrial UFP filtration

Depuis plusieurs années, les procédés à grandes déformations plastiques (SPD) sont développés pour affiner la microstructure de métaux afin d’obtenir des tailles de grains submicroniques. Cet affinement confère au matériau des propriétés améliorées (ex : limite élastique). Durant ces procédés, la géométrie globale du matériau reste inchangée. C’est pourquoi les procédés sont spécifiques pour une géométrie donnée. Dans cet objectif, un procédé récemment inventé au sein du LEM3, nommé HPTT - High Pressure Tube Twisting – permet de nanostructurer des échantillons tubulaires. Un tube est confiné par l’application d’une pression hydrostatique de plusieurs GPa et de grandes forces de frottement sont ainsi générées. Une déformation en cisaillement (> 4) dans l’épaisseur du tube est ensuite appliquée. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, un dispositif expérimental a été développé et utilisé pour la production d’échantillons à grains ultrafins (UFG). Des études analytiques et par éléments finis ont permis de comprendre l’état de contrainte et de déformation dans la paroi du tube. Un acier IF (Interstitial-Free) rendu nanostructuré a fait l’objet de caractérisations approfondies pour déterminer l’évolution de la microstructure (MEB-EBSD), des textures (rayons X) et du comportement mécanique (compression). Dans le but de mieux comprendre les phénomènes de fragmentation, un code polycristallin impliquant la courbure du réseau comme élément principal conduisant à l’affinement de la microstructure a été utilisé et comparé aux mesures expérimentales. Ce travail est conclu par une étude de la taille limite atteignable par ces procédés / For several years, Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) processes have been developed to refine the microstructure of metals in order to obtain ultrafine grains (UFG). This refinement attributes improved properties (ex: yield stress) to the material. The overall geometry of the material remains unchanged. That is why these processes are specific for a given geometry. For this purpose, a process recently initiated at the LEM3, the so called HPTT – High Pressure Tube Twisting – is designed to nanostructure tubular samples. A tube is confined by applying a hydrostatic pressure of several GPa and large friction forces are generated. A shear strain (> 4) is finally applied in the tube thickness. In this thesis, an experimental device was developed and used to produce UFG materials. Finite element and analytical studies have been carried out to understand the stress and strain state in the tube wall. The obtained ultrafine grains IF (Interstitial-Free) steel was characterized to determine the evolution of the microstructure (SEM-EBSD), textures (X-rays) and the mechanical behavior (compression tests). For a better understanding of the fragmentation phenomena, a polycrystal code involving lattice curvature as the main element leading to refinement of the microstructure was used and compared with experimental measurements. This work is concluded by a study on the limited grain size achievable by SPD processes

Bioplastic research has become more diverse and different types of research on bioplastic production have been conducted from fruits and vegetable waste, for example, orange waste. The wastes that come from oranges contain more than just vitamins, it has soluble sugars, starch, hemicellulose, cellulose, and pectin. The intention of this project was to study the possibility to produce bio-composite films from orange waste, after removing the soluble sugars. It was also to analyze the properties of the material by tensile strength, visual observation, and to find a methodology that suits this study. An ultrafine grinder was used to mechanically separate the cellulose fibres, with the intention to compare the fibrillation cycles on the properties of the bio-composite films. A total of 30fibrillation cycle was performed. In addition, different film casting strategies were performed and evaluated. The primary plan was to produce a biofilm without the use of chemicals. After the observing the results three new routes for the methodology was developed where the usage of chemicals was be included. The citric acid was used as a solvent for pectin and glycerol was used as a plasticizer. In the first method, different concentration of citric acid and glycerol were added and observed. The combination which gave uniformed films that contained 0.3 g of citric and 0.375 g of glycerol for a 75 ml hydrogel. The second method was to infuse citric acid before grinding the orange waste suspension. Lastly, the third method was to bleach the orange waste before grinding. The films that were produced gave interesting results and from the tensile testing implied that an impact was made on the strength by every fibrillation. The amount of glycerol was consistent throughout the project, but by adding different amount of citric acid gave the films differentIIproperties. The same happened when changing the mould of the film. The best values of the films were from the 30th fibrillation, gave the mean value of 31.6 MPa in tensile strength, and had a strain in elongation at 6.1 %. The tensile strength and elongation had increased drastically compared the fifth fibrillation which had 9.8 MPa and 7.6%.

Les études épidémiologiques sur les effets de la fraction ultrafine de la pollution particulaire et les études sur la toxicité in vitro et in vivo des nanoparticules manufacturées témoignent d’un danger potentiel pour l’homme en raison de nouvelles propriétés physico-chimiques de la matière à l’échelle nanométrique. L’évaluation du risque lié à des expositions professionnelles ou environnementales ou le diagnostic d’un lien causal entre ces expositions et d’éventuelles pathologies peuvent être limités par l’absence de méthode de référence pour caractériser et quantifier les particules nanométriques dans les tissus et fluides biologiques. Ce travail a permis de mettre au point une méthode remplissant ces objectifs, basée sur la préparation des échantillons par digestion alcaline et microfiltration et sur l’analyse en microscopie électronique analytique. L’application de cette méthode dans deux études a permis de confirmer qu’une translocation des particules nanométriques était possible d’une part au niveau pleural avec concentration dans les black spots et d’autre part à travers le placenta avec une possible exposition du foetus. Ce travail a également permis de caractériser des sources d’expositions professionnelles ou environnementales aux particules nanométriques. Sous réserve d’optimiser le coût et le temps nécessaire pour ce type d’analyse, cette méthode pourrait permettre de définir des valeurs de référence sur des échantillons plus larges et représentatifs de la population générale ou être utilisée dans le cadre de la surveillance de travailleurs exposés. / Epidemiologic studies on the health effects of ultrafine particles from atmospheric pollution and in vitro or in vivo studies on manufactured nanoparticles toxicity suggest that potential hazards may result from new physico-chemical properties of materials at nanometric scale. To assess human health risk after occupational or environmental exposure or to demonstrate a causal relationship between such exposures and diseases may be hindered by the lack of reference method to characterize and quantify nanometric particles in biological tissues and fluids. This work allowed us to develop such a method based on samples preparation by alkaline digestion and microfiltration followed by analytical electron microscopy analysis. This method applied in two studies allowed us to confirm that pleural translocation of nanometric particles and accumulation in black spots were possible in human and that they also may pass through the placental barrier with potential fetal exposure. This work also allowed us to characterize some sources of occupational and environmental exposures. After time-cost optimization of this method, it could be used to define reference values on larger population-representative samples or used for the medical follow-up of exposed workers.

This thesis deals with the influence of grain refinement by ECAP on fatigue properties of magnesium alloy AZ 91. Tensile and fatigue tests were made on the as-cast state samples and samples after ECAP process. Metallographic analysis of the microstructure and fractographic analysis of the fracture surfaces was performed.

Ultrafine particles are relevant to many practical applications, including froth flotation, emulsion and foam formation, printing, and drug delivery. Such particles have tremendous effect on the interfacial and hydrodynamic properties of the multiphase systems both in static and dynamic conditions. Combining experimental and theoretical approaches, this research scrutinizes a multidisciplinary subject focusing on hydrodynamic and physicochemical characteristics of the ultrafine particles at fluidic interfaces. In particular, the effect of ultrafine particles on the (i) surface activity of the surfactants of different charges, (ii) mobility of the interfaces, and (iii) kinetics of particles attachment are investigated. In the first part of this thesis the effect of negatively charged silica nanoparticles, as model particles for ultrafine particles, on the interfacial behavior of the cationic surfactant (CTAB) is investigated using Profile Analysis Tensiometry (PAT). The results indicate that neither surfactant concentration nor NPs alone can determine the surface tension of the system, and that the ratio of surfactants to nanoparticles is the decisive factor. Below a critical ratio, the surface tension values remain relatively constant as the free surfactant molecules are completely depleted from the solution due to the formation of nanoparticle-surfactant complexes. Above this critical ratio, the number of free surfactant molecules increases as the surfactant concentration increases, causing the surface tension to decrease. In this regime, free surfactant molecules and nanoparticle-surfactant complexes coexist and can co-adsorb at the interface. This is demonstrated by combining high amplitude compression and dynamic surface tension measurements. Furthermore, the effect of negatively charged nanoparticles on the surface activity of anionic surfactant (SDBS) in an aqueous phase is studied. Although recent studies indicate that nanoparticles increase the surface activity of surfactants through electrostatic repulsive forces, it is observed that the surface activity of surfactants is mainly affected by the change in ionic strength of the system due to the presence of nanoparticles. Several characteristic parameters including the equivalent concentration of the surfactant and the critical micelle concentration (CMC) are theoretically calculated and further employed to validate experimental observations. Based on the obtained results, a criterion to estimate the possible influence of the electrostatic repulsive forces for nanoparticles of different sizes and mass fractions is introduced. In the next step, the effect of ultrafine particles on the mobility of interfaces is investigated. The shear stress of the axisymmetric flow field triggers a nonuniform distribution of the surfactants at the surface of a rising bubble, known as stagnant cap, which gives rise to Marangoni stress that can reduce the mobility of the interface. The conditions in technological processes; however, usually deviate from the linear rise of a single bubble in a quiescent unbounded liquid. Asymmetric shear can act on the bubble surface due to the vorticity in the surrounding flow, or due to the bubble-bubble interactions, which can significantly change the surfactant distribution at the interface. To better understand this effect, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is applied in an experimental setup that is specifically designed to study the hydrodynamics of bubbles and droplets and their interfacial mobility under asymmetric shear flow. Series of PIV experiments are performed with a buoyant bubble/pendant drop at the tip of a capillary placed in a defined shear flow in the presence of surfactants and nanoparticles. A direct experimental observation of the circulating flow at the interface under asymmetric shear, which prevents the formation of the typical stagnant cap is observed. The results show that the interface remains mobile under these conditions regardless of the surfactant concentration. The response of the interface to the surrounding asymmetric flow under successive reduction of the surface area revealed that in the presence of nanoparticles, a contiguous network of particles forms at the interface through densification of surface structures that can drastically change the interfacial mobility of the bubbles and drops. The immobilization is characterized by a dimensionless number, defined as the ratio of the interfacial elasticity to bulk shear forces, which provides an estimate of the interfacial forces required to impose interfacial immobility at a defined flow field. In the last part of this thesis, the kinetics of particles attachment to a buoyant bubble is investigated. The results showed that the technique can be used to investigate the floatability of different particles as a function of various parameters such as hydrophobicity, particle size, and number density. Furthermore, a specific setup was developed to collect the attached particles and measure their mass and size distribution after collection. For a monomodal particle system, the results indicated almost identical size distribution before and after collection with a slight shift to smaller sizes after collection. For a bimodal particle system, on the other hand, results showed that the majority of the collected particles belong to smaller fractions. Next, the effects of ultrafine particles on the kinetics of particle attachment and the distribution and mobility of particles on the bubble surface is studied. It is shown that the ultrafine particles can increase the attachment rate of fine particles and at the same time decrease their packing density. The presence of ultrafine particles at the interface strongly influenced the distribution of the fine particles on bubble surface. The effect is more pronounced for pre-compressed bubbles, where the dense layer of ultrafine particles on the bubble surface completely prevents the attachment of the fine particles. It is also observed that the mobility of the fine particles at the interface changes significantly when ultrafine particles are adsorbed on the bubble surface.

Nanocrystalline metals exhibit a high strength/hardness but generally poor ductility during deformation regardless of their crystal structure which is often called the strength-ductility trade-off relationship and generally appears in most ultrafine-grained metals. The ultrafine-grained (UFG) high manganese austenitic twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steels have been found to overcome the strength-ductility trade-off but their underlying mechanism of discontinuous yielding behavior has not been well understood. In this study, our systematic TEM characterization suggests that the plastic deformation mechanisms in the early stage of deformation, around the macroscopic yield point, show an obvious association with grain size and nucleation of deformation twin was promoted rather than suppressed in UFG. More specifically, the main mechanism shifts from the conventional slip in grain interior to twinning nucleated from grain boundaries with decreasing the grain size down to less than 1 m. We also provide insights into the atomistic process of deformation twin nucleation at 3{111} twin boundaries, the dominant type of grain boundary in the UFG-TWIP steel of interest. In response to the external tensile stresses, the structure of coherent 3{111} twin boundary changes from atomistically smooth to partly defective by the grain boundary migration mechanism thus the "kink-like" defective step can act as a nucleation site for deformation twin, which deformation process is different from the one induced by dislocation pile-ups in coarse-grained counterparts and explain why UFG TWIP steel can retain the moderate ductility. In addition to the effect of grain size on deformation twin nucleation, grain boundary character was also taken into account. In coarse-grained TWIP steel, we experimentally reveal that deformation twin nucleation occurs at an annealing twin () boundary in a high-Mn austenitic steel when dislocation pile-up at boundary produced a local stress exceeding the twining stress, while no obvious local stress concentration was required at relatively high-energy grain boundaries such as or  A periodic contrast reversal associated with a sequential stacking faults emission from boundary was observed by in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) deformation experiments, proving the successive layer-by-layer stacking fault emission was the deformation twin nucleation mechanism. The correlation between grain boundary character and deformation behavior was discussed both in low- and high-sigma value grain boundaries. On the other hand, localized strain concentration causes the nucleation of deformation twins at grain boundaries regardless of the grain boundary misorientation character in UFG TWIP steel. The invisibility of stacking fault (zero contrast) was also observed to be emitted at 3{111} boundaries in the coarse-grained TWIP steel, which deformation twin nucleation mechanism is found to be identical to UFG Fe-31Mn-3Si-3Al TWIP steel. / Doctor of Philosophy / High manganese (Mn) twin-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel is a new type of steels which exhibit pronounced strain hardening rate so that offering an extraordinary potential to adjust the strength-ductility relationship. This key advantage will help implement the current development of lightweighting components in automobile industry due to a considerable reduction of material use and an improved press formability. Such outstanding ductility can be contributed by the pronounced strain hardening rate during every such deformation processes, which is highly associated with several different controlling parameters, i.e., SFE, grain orientation, grain size, and grain boundary characters. In this study, we take particular attention to the effect of grain size and grain boundary characters on deformation twinning behavior besides well-known parameters such as SFE and grain orientation. The effect of grain size on deformation twinning behavior was found to be deeply associated with the yielding behavior in TWIP steel, i.e., a discontinuous yielding behavior with a unique yield drop was observed in ultrafine-grained TWIP while a continuous yielding behavior was observed in coarse-grained counterpart. Our TEM characterization indicates that the microstructural features of grains >10 m are different from the microstructural features in grains < 1 m. In over-10 m grains, normal dislocation slips and the formation of in-grain stacking faults are the main deformed microstructure. However, in the under-1 m grains, the in-grain dislocation slip is inhibited, but the deformation twinning is promoted at grain boundaries. This deformation transition from in-grain slip to twinning at grain boundary appears to be responsible for the discontinuous yielding behavior observed in stress-strain curve. The effect of grain boundary character on deformation twinning was examined in both coarse- and ultrafine-grained TWIP steels. In coarse-grained TWIP steel, we found that deformation twinning behavior varies as the function of boundary structure, i.e., different atomic configuration. Coherent twin boundary can act as a nucleation site for deformation twin as a localized strain concentration was introduced by dislocation pile-ups. On the other hand, incoherent boundaries can act as a deformation twin nucleation site by a boundary relaxation mechanism, i.e., grain-boundary dislocations can dissociate into partial dislocations to both side of boundary to accommodate the misfit between grains. In UFG TWIP steel, we found that the coherent twin boundary can act as a deformation twin nucleation site without presence of dislocation pile-ups. Alternatively, twin boundary becomes defective with a "kink-like" step by boundary migration. As a result, this defective step would progressively accumulate localized strain field thus stimulate the nucleation of deformation twin. Such study provides a novel insight into the UFG TWIP steel and a roadmap toward controlling TWIP effect.