Austenitic stainless steels offer good property combinations for structural component applications in demanding and aggressive environments, including nuclear power plants, where irradiation assisted degradation failures have been reported [1]. Enhanced irradiation tolerance has been reported for materials containing a high density of internal interfaces that act as point defect annihilation or...

Focusing on nanocrystalline (nc) pure face-centered cubic metals, where systematic experimental data are available, this paper presents a brief overview of the recent progress made in improving mechanical properties of nc materials, and in quantitatively and mechanistically understanding the underlying mechanisms. The mechanical properties reviewed include strength, ductility, strain rate and t...

In this study we develop a gradient theory of small-deformation single-crystal plasticity that accounts for geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs). The resulting framework is used to discuss grain boundaries. The grains are allowed to slip along the interface, but growth phenomenona and phase transitions are neglected. The bulk theory is based on the introduction of a microforce balance fo...

The study of nucleation mechanism of new grains during severe plastic deformation of magnesium alloys is of great importance to control the characteristics of final microstructures.  To investigate the role of discontinuous recrystallization, a wrought AZ31 magnesium alloy was deformed by accumulative back extrusion process at 330 °C.  The obtained microstructures were studied using optical and...

We present simulation results based on a phase-field model that describes the migration of recrystallization boundaries into spatially varying deformation energy fields. Energy fields with 2-dimensional variations representing 2 sets of dislocation boundaries lying at equal, but opposite, angles to the moving boundary are considered. The simulations show that the shape and overall migration rat...

Computational micromechanical studies of the effect of nanostructuring and nanoengineering of interfaces, phase and grain boundaries of materials on the mechanical properties and strength of materials and the potential of interface nanostructuring to enhance the materials properties are reviewed. Several groups of materials (composites, nanocomposites, nanocrystalline metals, wood) are consider...