Abstract Scope |
We employ nano/microscale in-situ characterization methods to image nano/microscale interfaces in metals, including: (1) twin interfaces that form during deformation twinning, and (2) phase interfaces that form during stress-induced reversible martensitic phase transformations. In both cases, the local stress concentrations that form along the interfaces are critical for understanding both local and macroscopic deformation behavior (e.g., ductility and fracture in the case of twinning, and hysteresis and functional fatigue in the case of martensitic phase transformations). Here, we use synchrotron X-ray characterization (X-ray topotomography, diffraction contrast tomography, and dark-field X-ray microscopy) to resolve the emergence and evolution of twin and phase interfaces and their 3D morphologies, interfacial stress fields, and interactions with defects in CuAlNi shape memory alloys and lightweight structural Mg-4Al alloys. The results demonstrate how recent and ongoing advances in synchrotron X-ray characterization techniques can be used to shed new light on complex, metastable micromechanical behaviors. |