Dynamic abnormal grain growth of selected refractory metals

Dynamic abnormal grain growth (DAGG) is a phenomenon by which single crystals up to centimeters in length are produced at elevated temperature during the application of strain. DAGG was previously demonstrated in commercial-purity molybdenum (Mo) materials. This is the first investigation to confirm DAGG in another material, tantalum (Ta). Previous experiments initiated and propagated DAGG using constant true-strain rate tensile tests, but this study demonstrates that DAGG can also occur under constant true-stress tensile conditions. A Mo material was tested under constant true stress, and two Ta materials were tested under constant true-strain rate. The effects of temperature, stress, strain rate, initial microstructure and texture on tensile test data and the resulting microstructures are examined. The microstructures of the Ta materials are analyzed using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data to quantify the orientation, deformation, grain boundary character, and slip properties of the DAGG grains and unconsumed microstructure. The DAGG grains were found to be relatively undeformed compared to the unconsumed microstructure following DAGG and to not be oriented favorably, or unfavorably, for slip. The grain boundaries between DAGG grains in one Ta material were found to commonly have [sigma]3 character. This was likely due to a strong initial <111>-fiber texture. Previous investigations of DAGG in Mo indicated that DAGG grains commonly grow along the surface of the specimen, but this was not observed with significant frequency in Ta. Results suggest that the distance the DAGG grain boundary travels is proportional to the accumulated strain during DAGG, and the velocity of the DAGG grain boundary is proportional to the applied strain rate but is not related to the orientation of the DAGG grain or its slip properties.