Emergence of localized plasticity and failure through shear banding during microcompression of a nanocrystalline alloy

TL;DR

This study investigates how grain size and boundary relaxation influence deformation and failure in nanocrystalline alloys during microcompression, revealing shear banding as a failure mechanism similar to metallic glasses.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the effects of grain boundary relaxation on mechanical behavior and failure modes in nanocrystalline materials.

Findings

Strength increases with grain refinement.

Shear banding causes failure, similar to metallic glasses.

Grain boundary relaxation enhances strength and localization.

Abstract

Microcompression testing is used to probe the uniaxial stress-strain response of a nanocrystalline alloy, with an emphasis on exploring how grain size and grain boundary relaxation state impact the complete flow curve and failure behavior. The yield strength, strain hardening, strain-to-failure, and failure mode of nanocrystalline Ni-W films with mean grain sizes of 5, 15, and 90 nm are studied using taper-free micropillars that are large enough to avoid extrinsic size effects. Strengthening is observed with grain refinement, but catastrophic failure through strain localization is found as well. Shear banding is found to cause failure, resembling the deformation of metallic glasses. Finally, we study the influence of grain boundary state by employing heat treatments that relax nonequilibrium boundary structure but leave grain size unchanged. A pronounced strengthening effect and increased strain localization is observed after relaxation in the finer grained samples.