Strengthening Mechanism of

single phase metallic materials

Presented by: Gaurav Suryavanshi
 Strengthening Mechanisms

1. Solid-Solution Strengthening (or Alloying)

2. Grain Size Reduction

3. Strain Hardening (or Work Hardening)

 2. Grain Size Reduction

Grain II

Grain
Boundary

Slip Plane Grain I

 2. Grain Size Reduction cont..
Axis of the adjacent grains are oriented differently.
Dislocations have to move from Grain I to Grain II during
plastic deformation (dislocation have to cross grain
boundary). But:
1. Direction of slip plane changes,
2. Slip plane is discontinuous at the grain boundary
Therefore, “Grain boundary act as a dislocation barrier in
dislocation motion.”
• At high angle grain boundaries, dislocation will not
cross the grain boundaries but they pile up there.
• Due to dislocation pile up stress raiser produced at
grain boundaries which act as new source of
dislocations in the next grain.
 2. Grain Size Reduction cont..
Conclusion: “Grain boundary act as a dislocation
barrier in dislocation motion.”
1. Smaller is the size of grains in the material
simply means more grain boundary area.
2. More grain boundary area means more
barrier to motion of dislocation.
3. Restrictions to the motion of dislocations
increases the strength.
4. Finer the grains, higher will be the strength.
5. Also improves toughness of many alloys.
 2. Grain Size Reduction cont..
Hall-Petch equation
2. Grain Size Reduction cont..
Graphical representation of Hall-Petch equation
 2. Grain Size Reduction cont..
Grain Size D: “Mean” Intercept size

Microstructure of single phase

material at Magnification “M”
 FRANK-READ SOURCE
FRANK-READ SOURCE: Source of generation of new
dislocation from existing dislocations (happens when
material is deformed plastically.)
We know about Dislocations :
1. Dislocation line- may be straight or curved, may or
may not line on a particular plane.
2. It generally take form for curves or loops
3. Nature of dislocation line: partly Edge and partly
Screw in nature.
Dislocation loop on a slip plane
 Dislocation Density

Another definition

Both definitions are statically related.

 Dislocation Density

Dislocation Density

In well Annealed crystal

Light cold-worked

Heavy cold-worked
3. Strain Hardening
Deformed
Undeformed Sample
Sample

O A B C
3. Strain Hardening cont..

Strain Hardening
OR or Work Hardening
 3. Strain Hardening cont..
Conclusion: If a material is plastically deformed and
tested(in uni-axial testing again it will show a higher
yield stress than an unreformed specimen.
Confusion:
We know that:
1. Plastic deformation increases the dislocation density.
2. Dislocation weakens the crystal (mechanism by which we
can deform the material at much lower stress than the
ideal/perfect crystal.)
(1) + (2) (Deformed crystal should be weaker!)
Experimentally, deformed crystal should be stronger.
(STRAIN HARDENING)

DISLOCATION-DISLOCATION INTERACTIONS
 3. Strain Hardening cont..

Why ?
• Dislocation density increases when the material is deformed
plastically. (Dislocation Multiplication)
• Average distance b/w dislocations decreases which lead to
dislocation- dislocation strain field interaction, which is
repulsive in nature.
• Due to repulsive forces amongst dislocations their motion is
restricted which causes increase in strength.