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Size Effects in Plasticity: Experiments

English title Size Effects in Plasticity: Experiments
Applicant Van Swygenhoven Helena
Number 116283
Funding scheme Project funding
Research institution Paul Scherrer Institut
Institution of higher education Paul Scherrer Institute - PSI
Main discipline Material Sciences
Start/End 01.10.2007 - 30.09.2010
Approved amount 237'298.00
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Keywords (8)

nanomaterials; mechanical; microstructure; plasticity; metals; nanostructured metals; mechanical behaviour; X-ray diffraction

Lay Summary (English)

Lead
Lay summary
The overall scientific objective of this proposal is the understanding of intrinsic (grain size) and extrinsic (sample size) lengthscale dependent mechanical behavior of metals giving rise to the “smaller is stronger” trend. The paths chosen are carefully designed in-situ experiments at two beamlines of the Swiss Light Source (MS4 and MicroXAS), in combination with conventional mechanical testing, 3D atom probe analysis, internal friction measurements and TEM. In particular, the proposed experiments focus on the relation between size dependent plasticity and the initial microstructure. For materials characterized by internal lengthscales, the underlying significance of the rms strain, its relation to the impurities, and its role in the mechanical behavior constitute the central themes of the proposal. For micron sized volumes, the presence of strain gradients in the initial microstructure and their influence on the observation of size dependent strength is investigated.
The output provided by the experimental research in this proposal will form the necessary input for mesoscopic models aiming to provide predictive databases needed for product design of knowledge based multifunctional materials. Developing a mesoscopic model for size dependent mechanical behaviour is the subject of an international research project NANOMESO financed within the special call FP6-2004-NMP-NSF-1 by the EU and the NSF-USA (March 2006-March 2009). Coordinator for the USA is Prof. P. Anderson, and coordinator for the EU is Prof. H. Van Swygenhoven, main applicant of the current proposal.
Direct link to Lay Summary Last update: 21.02.2013

Responsible applicant and co-applicants

Employees

Associated projects

Number Title Start Funding scheme
138240 Constitutive modeling and microstructural validation for crystal plasticity finite element computation of cyclic plasticity in fatigue 01.06.2012 Project funding
121748 Smaller is stronger: a synergetic approach using TEM, in-situ Laue and computation 01.08.2009 Project funding
103714 In-situ tensile testing of nano and near- nanocrystalline metals at the Swiss Light Source 01.05.2004 Project funding
137881 Structure evolution and deformation resistance in nanocrystalline metals: transient testing and in-situ synchrotron experiments 01.07.2012 Project funding

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