Engineering PapersSearch

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Stacking fault energy”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records

Hydrogen Embrittlement And Stacking-Fault Energies

Embrittlement in Ni/Cu alloys appears related to stacking-fault porbabilities. Report describes attempt to show a correlation between stacking-fault energy of different Ni/Cu alloys and susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement. Correlation could lead to more fundamental understanding and method of predicting susceptibility of given Ni/Cu alloy form stacking-fault energies calculated from X-ray diffraction measurements.

Parr, R. A.

The determination of the stacking fault energy in copper-nickel alloys

Methods for determining the stacking fault energies of a series of nickel-copper alloys to gain an insight into the embrittling effect of hydrogen are evaluated. Plans for employing weak beam dark field electron microscopy to determine stacking fault energies are outlined.

Leighly, H. P., Jr.

The measurement of the stacking fault energy in copper, nickel and copper-nickel alloys

The relationship of hydrogen solubility and the hydrogen embrittlement of high strength, high performance face centered cubic alloys to the stacking fault energy of the alloys was investigated. The stacking fault energy is inversely related to the distance between the two partial dislocations which are formed by the dissociation of a perfect dislocation. The two partial dislocations define a stacking fault in the crystal which offers a region for hydrogen segregation. The distance between the partial dislocations is measured by weak beam, dark field transmission electron microscopy. The stacking fault energy is calculated. Pure copper, pure nickel and copper-nickel single crystals are used to determine the stacking fault energy.

Leighly, H. P., Jr.

Influence of stacking fault energy and hydrogen on deformation mechanisms in high Mn austenitic steels during in-situ tensile testing

High Mn austenitic steels are considered an economical alloy system for hydrogen storage and transport applications. This study used stacking fault energy (SFE) as a design parameter to achieve hydrogen embrittlement (HE)-resistant high Mn austenitic alloys. The role of hydrogen on the deformation mechanisms of low (29 mJ/m 2 ) and high SFE (49 mJ/m 2 ) alloys was evaluated through in-situ neutron diffraction during tensile loading. Hydrogen-precharging increased yield strength, partly due to hydrogen-induced lattice distortion (i.e., solute strengthening). Hydrogen accelerated the increase in defect density, including dislocations and stacking faults. The formation of planar deformation structures (twins and stacking faults), relative to dislocations, plays a critical role in promoting hydrogen-assisted fracture. The stacking fault frequency parameter obtained from neutron diffraction quantifies planar deformation tendencies, correlated with HE sensitivity. The higher SFE alloy exhibited greater resistance to HE, associated with the reduced propensity to form stacking faults and twins upon deformation in the hydrogen-precharged condition.

High Mn austenitic steel

The impact of nickel concentration and stacking fault energy on deformation mechanisms in high-purity austenitic Fe-Cr-Ni alloys

Understanding how composition affects deformation mechanisms in austenitic stainless steels is essential for developing accurate predictive models of stress-induced failures and stress corrosion cracking. Nickel (Ni), an element classified as a critical element, plays a crucial role in these processes. It is important to examine how Ni concentration influences stacking fault energy (SFE) and, consequently, the deformation mechanisms of austenitic stainless steels. However, in commercial stainless steels, the effects of other alloying elements and impurities can obscure Ni's role, complicating efforts to isolate its impact. Here, in this study, we use two high-purity Fe-Cr-Ni alloys to investigate how Ni concentration and SFE interact to alter deformation mechanisms and induce martensitic transformation. By combining in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) tensile testing and post-mortem electron microscopy with density functional theory simulations, we gain precise insights into these phenomena. We find that the Fe18Cr10Ni (wt%) alloy, with its low SFE, exhibits higher stacking fault probability, deformation-induced martensitic transformation, and a lesser increase in dislocation density with plastic strain. In contrast, the Fe18Cr14Ni (wt%) alloy, with its higher SFE, shows enhanced deformation twinning and greater dislocation density with increasing strain. These findings from high-purity ternary alloys provide valuable insights that can guide the search for alternative elements to replace Ni while achieving similar effects on phase stability and deformation behavior.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Compositional effect on pressure-induced polymorphism in high-entropy alloys

Recently, pressure-induced polymorphic phase transitions were discovered in several fragmented high-entropy alloys (HEAs), offering a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding of these materials. However, the chemical and physical factors that govern these transitions are still unclear. Here, in this work, we combined in situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction, X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) to systematically study the evolution of the atomic and electronic structures in the Cantor alloy and its face-centered-cubic ( fcc ) subset alloys (CoCrFeMnNi, CoCrFeNi, CoCrMnNi, CoFeMnNi, CoCrNi, CoFeNi, CoMnNi, CrFeNi, and FeMnNi). Surprisingly, diverse behavior was observed among these closely related alloys during compression and decompression, which includes irreversible, reversible fcc to hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase transitions, or even no detectable phase transitions up to ∼40 GPa. HRTEM measurements confirmed that the fcc and hcp phases abided by the classic Shoji-Nishiyama orientation relationship during the transitions. XES data indicated that high-pressure suppresses the local magnetic moments in all the studied alloys, suggesting that magnetic states do not significantly influence the polymorphic transitions. By comparing the effects of the atomic size difference, entropy, valence electron concentration, and stacking fault energy across all the compositions studied, only the stacking fault energy shows a strong correlation with the phase transitions, indicating it plays a key role in inducing polymorphism in HEAs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

On the distribution of stacking faults at dissociated medium-angle grain boundaries: Crystallographic geometry and metastability

Grain boundaries in FCC metals with low stacking-fault energy can form in dissociated configurations of stacking faults. Perhaps the most studied example is 9R stacking at boundaries near Σ3{112}, where the distribution of stacking faults is related to the emission of Shockley partial dislocations. Here, we combine atomic-resolution electron microscopy, atomistic simulations, and dislocation theory to demonstrate that boundaries vicinal to Σ33a support the stabilization of dissociated 9R stacking within a narrow range of inclinations. This boundary is interesting since its misorientation (20.05°) lies in the medium-angle regime, just past the upper misorientation limit for low-angle boundaries, motivating questions for how best to describe it in terms of dislocations. Our HAADF-STEM observations of thin film bicrystals, supported by atomistic modeling, reveal that this inclination dependence arises from specific geometric constraints on the arrangement of Shockley partial dislocations at the interface. Quantification of stacking-fault distributions across multiple boundaries indicates that the density and spacing of faults closely follow the ideal 9R motif, with subtle variations reflecting the complex energy landscape of these boundaries. Through energetic analysis, we establish the presence of competing metastable states enabled by variations in stacking sequences, emphasizing the significant role of crystallographic geometry. We generalize our analysis as a function of misorientation, showing how 9R at the Σ33a boundary is related to previous observations and calculations of HCP at a 29.7° boundary. This study provides a crystallographically grounded framework connecting dislocation structures, stacking-fault distributions, and metastability at grain boundaries in FCC metals.

Atomistic modeling

Doping Effects on the Ductility of a Lightweight Refractory High-Entropy Alloy: Grain Boundary and Bulk Lattice Aspects

Doping elements in small amounts often segregate to grain boundaries (GBs) in alloys and can significantly impact mechanical properties and performance. Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) are known for their poor ductility, especially at low temperatures. Promoting GB cohesion through segregation can be an effective approach to mitigate embrittlement. Here, in this study, first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to examine the effects of important interstitial dopants (O, B, C, and N) and substitutional dopants (Cr, Y, La, and Ce) on the Σ5(310) [001] tilt GB of a lightweight RHEA Nb 32.5 Ti 27.5 Mo 22.5 Ta 12.5 Hf 2.5 Zr 2.5 . The DFT calculations reveal that certain dopants, such as B, C, Cr, N, and Y, exhibit favorable GB strengthening effects by improving bonding interactions with the bulk alloy. The impact of doping on the ductility parameter of the bulk lattice, defined as the ratio of surface energy to unstable stacking fault energy for the {110} <111> slip system, was also studied; and the results show that doping reduces the intrinsic ductility of the alloy, decreasing the D-parameter from 2.90 to 2.55, depending on the specific dopant. The present findings provide a foundational understanding at atomic level of the effect of representative dopants on mechanical properties of RHEAs and can be used to guide future alloy design for improved mechanical properties.

deformation charge density

Determination of the gaseous hydrogen ductile-brittle transition in copper-nickel alloys

A series of copper-nickel alloys were fabricated, notched tensile specimens machined for each alloy, and the specimens tested in 34.5 MPa hydrogen and in air. A notched tensile ratio was determined for each alloy and the hydrogen environment embrittlement (HEE) determined for the alloys of 47.7 weight percent nickel to 73.5 weight percent nickel. Stacking fault probability and stacking fault energies were determined for each alloy using the x ray diffraction line shift and line profiles technique. Hydrogen environment embrittlement was determined to be influenced by stacking fault energies; however, the correlation is believed to be indirect and only partially responsible for the HEE behavior of these alloys.

Parr, R. A.

Understanding Twinning and Deformation in High Entropy Alloys

A combination of high strength and high ductility has been observed in multi-principal element alloys due to twin formation attributed to low stacking fault energy (SFE). In the pursuit of low SFE alloys, a key bottleneck is the lack of understanding of the composition–SFE cor- relations that would guide tailoring SFE via alloy composition. Using density functional theory (DFT), we show that dopant radius, which have been postulated as a key descriptor for SFE in dilute alloys, does not fully explain SFE trends across different host metals. Instead, charge density is a much more central descriptor. It allows us to (1) explain contrasting SFE trends in Ni and Cu host metals due to various dopants in dilute concentrations, (2) explain the large SFE variations observed in the literature even within a given alloy composition due to the nearest neighbor environments in “model” concentrated alloys, and (3) develop a machine learning model that can be used to predict SFEs in multi-elemental alloys. This model opens a possibility to use charge density as a descriptor for predicting SFE in alloys. Furthermore, a descriptor-less machine learning (ML) model based only on charge density images extracted from density functional theory (DFT) is developed to predict stacking fault energies (SFE) in concentrated alloys. The model is based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as one of the promising ML techniques for dealing with complex images and data. Identification of correct descriptors is a key bottleneck to develop ML models for predicting materials properties. Often, in most ML models, textbook physical descriptors such as atomic radius, valence charge and electronegativity are used as descriptors which have limitations because these properties change in concentrated alloys when multiple elements are mixed to form a solid solution. We illustrate that, within the scope of DFT, the search for descriptors can be circumvented by electronic charge density, which is the backbone of the Kohn-Sham DFT and describes the system completely. The performance of our model is demonstrated by predicting SFE of concentrated alloys with an RMSE and R2 of 6.18 mJ/m2 and 0.87, respectively, validating the accuracy of the proposed approach.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Deformation mechanisms of nanotwinned Al and binary Al alloys

The objective of this proposal is to investigate, at a fundamental level, the deformation mechanisms of nanotwinned (NT) Al alloys with high density twin boundaries (TBs) and stacking faults (SFs). Nanotwinned metals with low stacking fault energy (SFE), such as Cu and Ag, have shown outstanding strength and tensile ductility. Twin boundaries play a critical role to enhance the strength and work hardening ability of these metals and alloys, and thus lead to significant plasticity. Al alloys have ultra-high stacking fault energy, and thus are often considered to be nearly free from growth twins and SFs. However, our recent studies show that a significant number of nanotwins and 9R phase can be introduced in Al and certain Al alloys, and lead to high flow stresses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Tailoring Mechanical Properties of a Multi-Principle-Element Alloy by a Multi-Length-Scale Approach

A multiscale strengthening approach was employed to tailor the mechanical properties of a NiCoCr-based multi-principal element alloy (MPEA). Initially, the addition of Mo was utilized to strengthen the alloys by achieving grain size refinement, severe lattice distortion, and a reduction in stacking fault energy (SFE). Subsequently, the Suzuki segregation phenomenon was leveraged by carefully controlling stacking fault (SF) density via pre-straining and a subsequent 500°C heat treatment. Consequently, the Mo-added MPE alloys that were pre-strained and subsequently heat-treated exhibited a true yield stress of 2.3 GPa, with a corresponding fracture elongation of 12%. The Mo promotes complex SF interactions and the SFs formed during prior straining serve as sites for Suzuki segregation during subsequent heat treatment, varying the local SFE with Cr segregation, creating a roughened landscape and hindering dislocation dynamics. This multiscale strengthening approach presents a promising route for achieving desired mechanical properties in MPEAs.

mechanical properties

Temperature-Dependent Mechanical Properties of Ni-Based Concentrated Alloys: Insights from First-Principles Calculations

The present work focuses on predicting temperature-dependent mechanical properties of Ni-based concentrated alloys Ni 18 Cr 10 Co 10 Fe 6 M 4 (abbreviated by X 44 M 4 , with M = Al, V, Mn, Fe, Nb, Mo, and W) using density functional theory (DFT). These predictions are based on shear (plastic) and elastic deformations, utilizing the special quasirandom structure (SQS), the phonon-based quasiharmonic approach (QHA), and the quasistatic approach. The resulting properties include coefficient of thermal expansion via QHA, ideal shear strength (τ IS ), and stable and unstable stacking fault energies (γ SF and γ US ) through pure alias shear deformation, and elastic constants (c ij ), bulk modulus (B 0 ), and shear modules (G 0 ) via elastic deformation. Notably, predicting accurate γ SF is challenging due to uncertainties that can exceed the γ SF values. τ IS and γ US exhibit a strong linear relationship, enabling the accurate prediction of γ US based on the precisely determined τ IS . All mechanical properties of X 44 M 4 decrease with increasing temperature, except for some γ SF cases such as X 44 M 4 with M = V, Mn, Fe, Mo, and W. Among the X 44 M 4 alloys, X 44 Nb 4 exhibits the lowest τ IS , γ US , and G 0 values, and the highest B 0 /G 0 ratio, while X 44 Mn 4 has the lowest B 0 and B 0 /G 0 ratio. We found that volume is a crucial descriptor for understanding and modeling mechanical properties (except B0 and maybe also γ SF ) affected by alloying elements and temperature. Ni-based dilute alloys (e.g., Ni 11 M 1 and Ni 31 M 1 ) and concentrated alloys (e.g., X 44 M 4 ) show similar trends in mechanical properties influenced by alloying elements and temperature, simplifying the analysis and design of Ni-based alloys.

Elastic properties

Understanding the deformation behavior of the γ rich transformative Fe 38.5 Mn 20 Co 20 Cr 15 Si 5 Cu 1.5 complex concentrated alloy using in situ synchrotron diffraction

In situ tensile testing coupled with synchrotron x-ray diffraction was used to study the deformation behavior of metastability-engineered Fe 38.5 Mn 20 Co 20 Cr 15 Si 5 Cu 1.5 complex concentrated alloy. Monitoring the evolution of phase fraction and strain hardening response allowed the determination of true critical stress for the onset of the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) to be ∼375 MPa, preceded by slip starting at ∼255 MPa. In situ EBSD was used to validate the critical stress for transformation at the microstructure level and observe slip traces to confirm prior slip activity before the transformation. Further, a modeling framework based on stacking fault energy (SFE) was developed to predict the critical stress for transformation. Modeling suggested the SFE of the alloy to fall nearly 15 mJ/m 2 , which agrees well with SFE values calculated using synchrotron peak shifting (12 mJ/m 2 ) and thermodynamic calculation (11 mJ/m 2 ). As a result of γ-fcc to ε-hcp phase transformation, new {0002} ε planes emerged parallel to unaligned {111} γ planes with the tensile loading following S-N orientation relationship. Such selective emergence of new diffraction rings corresponding to ε phase is understood based on the reorientation of γ crystals with reference to tensile axis. In conclusion, this approach can be extended to effectively design alloys based on critical stress required for activating different deformation mechanisms to further push the limits of the strength-ductility envelope.

Complex concentrated alloy

Local chemical ordering of a neutron-irradiated CrFeMnNi compositionally complex alloy

While ion-irradiation studies are a critical first step in studying compositionally complex alloys (CCAs) for nuclear applications, they do not capture all the microstructural changes occurring under the low irradiation dose rates and different particles’ scattering patterns experienced in a nuclear reactor setting. To explore these phenomena in reactor-relevant conditions for the first time in CCA, the single-phase solid-solution Cr 10 Fe 30 Mn 30 Ni 30 was neutron irradiated up to 6.61 displacements per atom at 395 and 579 °C. Irradiation-enhanced local chemical ordering (LCO) well beyond the range of short range ordering was observed, and is predicted to be the precursor to the precipitation of a coherent Ni-Mn L1 0 phase and a Cr-rich α’ phase, though TEM analysis did not indicate the presence of either in any irradiation condition. The line density of faulted dislocation loops decreased from 6.47 to 1.69 ∙ 10 15 m -2 from 3.43 to 6.61 dpa at 579 °C despite no appreciable faulted loop content in the unirradiated material. LCO is expected to increase the complexity of the energy landscape within this alloy, restricting interstitial point defect mobility and creating local regions of greater stacking fault energy. These contribute to the negative correlation between irradiation dose and faulted dislocation loop density in this study, as well as the lack of void swelling observed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE