Microstructural study of adiabatic shear band

This article presents a study of the microstructural development of the adiabatic shear band in an HY-100 steel. The steel was deformed at a high strain rate by ballistic impact, and subsequent metallographic observations along with electron microscopy were performed. A number of white- etched shear bands were found near the perforated region, and three typical microstructural features of the adiabatic shear band were observed: elongated grain structure at the boundary between the shear band and matrix, fine equiaxed grain structure with high dislocation densities in the middle of the shear band, and relatively coarse-grained structure located between the above two structures. These microstructures might be formed in an extremely short time by the combined effects of the large temperature rise and the highly localized deformation. Since very complex phenomena might occur within the shear band, possible mechanisms, such as dynamic recovery and strain-induced dynamic phase transformation, are suggested to explain the micro- structural development of the adiabatic shear band.