Scientific Achievement
Identification of an intrinsic toughening mechanism that can endow exceptional damage tolerance to refractory alloys that typically suffer from very poor ductility.
Significance and Impact
Refractory alloys are of great interest for applications in extreme conditions but are typically brittle. Kink-band formation is discovered as a mechanism that can provide high toughness across a large range of temperatures, opening a new paradigm for design of refractory alloys with exceptional damage tolerance for energy applications.
Research Details
- Full crack-resistance curves with KJIc and Kss toughness values were determined from 77 –1473 K.
- Detailed structural characterization of deformation microstructures reveals a synergy of mechanisms balancing dislocation hardening and kink-band induced softening near the crack tip.
