Modelling and Experimental Validation of the Porosity Effect on the Behaviour of Nano-Crystalline Materials

Nano-crystalline metals have attracted considerable attention over the past two decades due to their increased mechanical properties as compared to their microcrystalline counterparts. However, the behaviour of nano-crystalline metals is influenced by imperfections introduced during synthesis or heat treatment. These imperfections include pores, which are mostly located in the area of grain boundaries. To study the behaviour of multiphase nano-crystalline materials, a novel fully parametric algorithm was developed. The data required for implementing the developed numerical model were the volume fraction of the alloying elements and their basic properties as well as the density and the size of randomly distributed pores. To validate the developed algorithm, the alloy composition 75 wt% tungsten and 25 wt% copper was examined experimentally under compression tests. For the investigation, two batches of specimens were used; a batch having a coarse-grained microstructure with an average grain diameter of 150 nm and a nanocrystalline batch having a grain diameter of 100 nm, respectively. The porosity of both batches was derived to range between 9% and 10% based on X-ray diffraction analyses. The results of quasi-static compression testing revealed that the nanocrystalline W-Cu material exhibited brittle behaviour which was characterised by an elastic deformation that led to fracture without remarkable plasticity. A compressive strength of about 1100 MPa was derived which was more than double compared to conventional W-Cu samples. Finite element simulations of the behaviour of porous nano-crystalline materials were performed and compared with the respective experimental compression tests. The numerical model and experimental observations were in good agreement.