The Effect of Hydrogen on Plastic Anisotropy of Mg and α-Ti/Zr from First-Principles Calculations

Mg and α-Ti/Zr exhibit high plastic anisotropy. In this study, the ideal shear strength across the basal, prismatic, pyramidal I, and pyramidal II slip systems in Mg and α-Ti/Zr with and without hydrogen was computed. The findings indicate that hydrogen reduces the ideal shear strength of Mg across the basal and pyramidal II slip systems, as well as of α-Ti/Zr across all four systems. Moreover, the activation anisotropy of these slip systems was analyzed based on the dimensionless ideal shear strength. The results suggest that hydrogen increases the activation anisotropy of these slip systems in Mg, while decreasing it in α-Ti/Zr. Furthermore, the activation possibility of these slip systems in polycrystalline Mg and α-Ti/Zr subjected to uniaxial tension was analyzed by utilizing the ideal shear strength and Schmidt's law. The results reveal that hydrogen increases the plastic anisotropy of Mg/α-Zr alloy while decreasing that of α-Ti alloy.

Multi-phase equation of state of ultrapure hafnium to 120 GPa

Hafnium (Hf) is an industrially important material due to its large neutron absorption cross-section and its high corrosion resistance. When subjected to high pressure, Hf phase transforms from its hexagonal close packed α-Hf phase to the hexagonal ω-Hf phase. Upon further compression, ω-Hf phase transforms to the body centered cubic β-Hf phase. In this study, the high pressure phase transformations of Hf are studied by compressing and decompressing a well-characterized Hf sample in diamond anvil cells up to 120 GPa while collecting x-ray diffraction data. The phase transformations of Hf were compared in both a He pressure transmitting medium (PTM) and no PTM over several experiments. It was found that the α-Hf to ω-Hf phase transition occurs at a higher pressure during compression and lower pressure during decompression with a helium (He) PTM compared to using no PTM. There was little difference in the ω-Hf to β-Hf phase transition pressure between the He PTM and no PTM. The equation of state was fit for all three phases of Hf and under both PTM and no-PTM.

The Plastic Deformation Mechanisms of hcp Single Crystals with Different Orientations: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The deformation mechanisms of Mg, Zr, and Ti single crystals with different orientations are systematically studied by using molecular dynamics simulations. The affecting factors for the plasticity of hexagonal close-packed (hcp) metals are investigated. The results show that the basal <a> dislocation, prismatic <a> dislocation, and pyramidal <c + a> dislocation are activated in Mg, Zr, and Ti single crystals. The prior slip system is determined by the combined effect of the Schmid factor and the critical resolved shear stresses (CRSS). Twinning plays a crucial role during plastic deformation since basal and prismatic slips are limited. The 101¯2 twinning is popularly observed in Mg, Zr, and Ti due to its low CRSS. The 101¯1 twin appears in Mg and Ti, but not in Zr because of the high CRSS. The stress-induced hcp-fcc phase transformation occurs in Ti, which is achieved by successive glide of Shockley partial dislocations on basal planes. More types of plastic deformation mechanisms (including the cross-slip, double twins, and hcp-fcc phase transformation) are activated in Ti than in Mg and Zr. Multiple deformation mechanisms coordinate with each other, resulting in the higher strength and good ductility of Ti. The simulation results agree well with the related experimental observation.

Smaller is Plastic: Polymorphic Structures and Mechanism of Deformation in Nanoscale hcp Metals

Using first-principles calculations, we establish the existence of highly stable polymorphs of hcp metals (Ti, Mg, Be, La and Y) with nanoscale structural periodicity. They arise from heterogeneous deformation of the hcp structure occurring in response to large shear stresses localized at the basal planes separated by a few nanometers. Through Landau theoretical analysis, we show that their stability derives from nonlinear coupling between strains at different length scales. Such multiscale hyperelasticity and long-period structures constitute a new mechanism of size-dependent plasticity and its enhancement in nanoscale hcp metals.