Strengthening dislocations

A hardness indentation causes both elastic and plastic deformations which activate certain strengthening mechanisms in metals. Dislocations created by the deformation result in strain hardening of metals. Thus the indentation hardness test, which is a measure of resistance to deformation, is affected by the rate of strain hardening. 

Once the precipitates grow beyond a critical size they lose coherency and then, in order for deformation to continue, dislocations must avoid the particles by a process known as Orowan bowing(23). This mechanism appHes also to alloys strengthened by inert dispersoids. In this case a dislocation bends between adjacent particles until the loop becomes unstable, at which point it is released for further plastic deformation, leaving a portion behind, looped around the particles. The smaller the interparticle spacing, the greater the strengthening. 

The result is work-hardening the steeply rising stress-strain curve after yield, shown in Chapter 8. All metals and ceramics work-harden. It can be a nuisance if you want to roll thin sheet, work-hardening quickly raises the yield strength so much that you have to stop and anneal the metal (heat it up to remove the accumulated dislocations) before you can go on. But it is also useful it is a potent strengthening method, which can be added to the other methods to produce strong materials. 

Precipitates have important effects on the mechanical, electronic, and optical properties of solids. Precipitation hardening is an important process used to strengthen metal alloys. In this technique, precipitates are induced to form in the alloy matrix by carefully controlled heat treatment. These precipitates interfere with dislocation movement and have the effect of hardening the alloy significantly. 

Dislocations multiply in a facile manner during a plastic deformation process, and several mechanisms for this have been observed by electron miscroscopy. Dislocations are destroyed by the processes of recovery and recrystallization during annealing after plastic deformation. Since dislocations cause low-yield stresses in metals and other solids, solid strengthening is accomplished either by eliminating dislocations or by immobilizing them. 

This complex form of precipitation in the Al-Cu system is of great practical importance. The finely dispersed precipitates act as effective barriers to the glide movement of dislocations during plastic deformation and harden and strengthen the material. This has led to the development of a number of widely used precipitation-hardened Al-Cu alloys [1]. 

Dispersion hardening or strengthening of a material means an increased resistance to deformation. The movement of dislocations in the metal facilitates metal deformation. Incorporated particles block the dislocation movement and thus strengthen the metal.4,11 12,21 Grain refinement of the metal due to the codeposition of particles has also been thought to contribute to the hardening effect, but this is not supported by experimental evidence. For several composites it was found that the grain structure of the metal matrix was not altered by the codeposition of particles. 

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