Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Al2O3 Nanoceramics via Low Temperature Spark Plasma Sintering of Amorphous Powders

In this work, Al2O3 nanoceramics were prepared by spark plasma sintering of amorphous powders and polycrystalline powders with similar particle sizes. Effective comparisons of sintering processes and ultimate products depending on starting powder conditions were explored. To ensure near-full density higher than 98% of the Al2O3 nanoceramics, the threshold temperature in SPS is 1450 °C for polycrystalline Al2O3 powders and 1300 °C for amorphous powders. The low SPS temperature for amorphous powders is attributed to the metastable state with high free energy of amorphous powders. The Al2O3 nanoceramics prepared by amorphous powders display a mean grain size of 170 nm, and superior mechanical properties, including high bending strength of 870 MPa, Vickers hardness of 20.5 GPa and fracture toughness of 4.3 MPa∙m1/2. Furthermore, the Al2O3 nanoceramics prepared by amorphous powders showed a larger dynamic strength and dynamic strain. The toughening mechanism with predominant transgranular fracture is explained based on the separation of quasi-boundaries.

Modelling of Granular Fracture in Polycrystalline Materials Using Ordinary State-Based Peridynamics

An ordinary state-based peridynamic formulation is developed to analyse cubic polycrystalline materials for the first time in the literature. This new approach has the advantage that no constraint condition is imposed on material constants as opposed to bond-based peridynamic theory. The formulation is validated by first considering static analyses and comparing the displacement fields obtained from the finite element method and ordinary state-based peridynamics. Then, dynamic analysis is performed to investigate the effect of grain boundary strength, crystal size, and discretization size on fracture behaviour and fracture morphology.

Computational modeling and simulation of spall fracture in polycrystalline solids by an atomistic-based interfacial zone model

The focus of this work is to investigate spall fracture in polycrystalline materials under high-speed impact loading by using an atomistic-based interfacial zone model. We illustrate that for polycrystalline materials, increases in the potential energy ratio between grain boundaries and grains could cause a fracture transition from intergranular to transgranular mode. We also found out that the spall strength increases when there is a fracture transition from intergranular to transgranular. In addition, analysis of grain size, crystal lattice orientation and impact speed reveals that the spall strength increases as grain size or impact speed increases.