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Interpreting the ductility of nanocrystalline metals

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Abstract

Nanocrystalline (NC) metals are known for having excellent strength but perceived to have poor ductility. Miniature tensile tests on NC Ni-Fe measured ultimate strengths of 2 GPa and elongations, by digital image correlation, of up to 10%. Detailed examination of the fracture surface revealed dimpled rupture and cross-section reduction up to 75%, suggesting an intrinsic ability for small grained Ni-Fe to accommodate plasticity. A survey of published studies on NC metals reveals that this behavior is quite common; despite low macroscopic elongation, NC metals often achieve extensive deformation suggesting good intrinsic ductility. Unfortunately, the common sheet-like configuration of NC tensile specimens muddies a simple evaluation of ductility based on elongation, since thin and wide geometries promote localized necking that expedites catastrophic failure. This paper presents a compact review of ductility concepts and literature to interpret the experimental ductility measurements of an electrodeposited nickel alloy.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank M. Rye for TEM specimen prep, Dr. B.G. Clark for TEM imaging, and Dr. A.M. Rowen for electro-deposition. This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering. Specimen preparation and electron microscopy characterization was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science by Los Alamos National Laboratory (Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396) and Sandia National Laboratories (Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000). Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

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  1. Materials Science and Engineering Center, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87123, USA

    John A. Sharon, Henry A. Padilla II & Brad L. Boyce

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Sharon, J.A., Padilla II, H.A. & Boyce, B.L. Interpreting the ductility of nanocrystalline metals. Journal of Materials Research 28, 1539–1552 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2013.139

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