Ilaksh Adlakha

Despite significant gains on understanding strengthening mechanisms in precipitate strengthened materials, such as aluminum alloys, there persists a sizeable gap in the atomistic understanding of how different precipitate types and their morphology along with dislocation character affects the hardening mechanisms. Toward this, the paper examines nature of precipitation strengthening behavior observed in the Al-Cu alloys using atomistic simulations. Specifically, the critical resolved shear stress is quantified across a wide range of dislocation-precipitate interactions scenarios for both θ′ and θ phase of Al2Cu. Overall, the simulations reveal that the dislocation character (edge or screw) plays a key role in determining the predominant hardening mechanism (shearing vs. Orowan looping) employed to overcome the θ′ Al2Cu precipitate. Furthermore, the critical shear stress and mechanism to overcome the precipitate is sensitivity to the position of the glide plane with respect to the precipitate and its orientation. Interestingly in our findings, the θ Al2Cu precipitate conventionally regarded as un-shearable particle was overcome by shear cutting mechanism for small equivalent precipitate radius, which agrees with recent TEM observations. These findings provide necessary information for the development of atomistically informed precipitate hardening models for the traditional continuum scale modeling efforts.

Hydrogen embrittlement limits the service life of various metallic components by causing a transition from a ductile to a brittle failure of inherently ductile alloys. In this work, using first-principles calculations, the effect of interstitial hydrogen on the ideal shear strength across various metals (Al, Ni, Fe, Nb, Ti, and Zr) and its implications on plasticity are discussed. The presence of hydrogen led to a volumetric expansion, which in turn had a key role in the observed shear strength response of cubic metals. However, in the case of HCP metals, the chemical contributions also have a significant part in the observed shear strength response. The interstitial hydrogen atom interacts strongly with valence d orbital metals (Ni, Fe, Nb, Ti, and Zr). Based on the Peierls-Nabarro framework, the presence of interstitial hydrogen reduces the Peierls stress across all the metals examined here. Finally, these findings provide insights to comprehensively understand hydrogen embrittlement.

Solution strengthening or softening is an effective way to enhance mechanical properties, especially in magnesium based alloys due to their inability to activate adequate non-basal deformation mechanisms at the room temperature. Hence, using first-principles calculations, the effects of several different alloying elements on the ideal shear resistance across various slip systems of Mg were investigated. The results reveal that the addition of a Ce or Zr solute atom decreases the ideal shear resistance (softening); whereas, the substitution of a Sn, Li or Zn atom increases the ideal shear resistance of Mg (strengthening). The dominant slip system in Mg was found to change from the basal partial (0001)[101¯0] to prismatic (101¯0)[112¯0] with the addition of a Ce or Zr solute atom; whereas, the addition of a Sn, Li or Zn solute atom had negligible effect on the plastic anisotropy. Furthermore, the electronic density of states and valence charge transfer, which provides a quantum mechanical insight into the underlying factors influencing the observed softening/strengthening behavior, was probed. For instance, the electronic density of states calculations show that the contribution from d states of Ce and Zr solute atoms decreases the electronic structure stability of their respective solid solution, thereby enhancing slip activities. In the end, theoretical analyses were performed and a shearability parameter was introduced to understand the implications of the observed variation in ideal shear resistance on the macroscopic behavior of Mg alloys.

Fundamentally, material flow stress increases exponentially at deformation rates exceeding, typically, ~103 s-1, resulting in brittle failure. The origin of such behavior derives from the dislocation motion causing non-Arrhenius deformation at higher strain rates due to drag forces from phonon interactions. Here, we discover that this assumption is prevented from manifesting when microstructural length is stabilized at an extremely fine size (nanoscale regime). This divergent strain-rate-insensitive behavior is attributed to a unique microstructure that alters the average dislocation velocity, and distance traveled, preventing/delaying dislocation interaction with phonons until higher strain rates than observed in known systems; thus enabling constant flow-stress response even at extreme conditions. Previously, these extreme loading conditions were unattainable in nanocrystalline materials due to thermal and mechanical instability of their microstructures; thus, these anomalies have never been observed in any other material. Finally, the unique stability leads to high-temperature strength maintained up to 80% of the melting point (~1356 K).

Niobium provides the basis for all superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities in use, however, hydrogen is readily absorbed by niobium during cavity fabrication and subsequent niobium hydride precipitation when cooled to cryogenic temperatures degrades its superconducting properties. In the last few years the addition of dopant elements such as nitrogen has been experimentally shown to significantly improve the quality factor of niobium SRF cavities. One of the contributors to Q degradation can be presence of hydrides; however, the underlying mechanisms associated with the kinetics of hydrogen and the thermodynamic stability of hydride precipitates in the presence of dopants are not well known. Using first-principles calculations, the effects of nitrogen on the energetic preference for hydrogen to occupy interstitial sites and hydride stability are examined. In particular, the presence of nitrogen significantly increased the energy barrier for hydrogen diffusion from one tetrahedral site to another interstitial site. Furthermore, the beta niobium hydride precipitate became energetically unstable upon addition of nitrogen in the niobium matrix. Through electronic density of states and valence charge transfer calculations, nitrogen showed a strong tendency to accumulate charge around itself, thereby decreasing the strength of covalent bonds between niobium and hydrogen atoms leading to a very unstable state for hydrogen and hydrides. These calculations show that the presence of nitrogen during processing plays a critical role in controlling hydride precipitation and subsequent SRF properties.

Solute addition is an effective way to enhance mechanical properties, especially in magnesium based alloys due to the limited number of slip systems available for deformation at the room temperature. Hence, the effects of various alloying elements on ideal shear resistance (ISR) across different slip systems of Mg were investigated using first-principles calculations. The addition of a Ce, Y, or Zr solute atom was found to decrease ISR, whereas the substitution of a Sn, Li, Al, or Zn atom increased the ISR of Mg. The most active slip system in Mg changed from the basal partial (0001) to prismatic upon substitution of a Ce, Y, or Zr solute atom, whereas the addition of Sn, Li, Al, or Zn solute atom had negligible effect on the plastic anisotropy. Furthermore, the electronic density of states and valence charge transfer provides a quantum insight into the underlying factors influencing the observed softening/strengthening behavior. For instance, the electronic density of states calculation shows that the contribution from d states of Ce, Y, and Zr solute atoms decreases the electronic structure stability of their respective solid solution, thereby enhancing slip activities. Theoretical analyses were also performed, and a shearability parameter was introduced to understand the implications of the observed variation in ideal shear resistance on the macroscopic behavior of Mg alloys.