The results of investigating the structure and properties of multilayered bimetallic “steel–copper” macrocomposite systems, obtained by wire-feed electron beam additive manufacturing, are presented in the paper. The features of boundary formation during 3D printing are revealed when changing the filaments of stainless steel and copper. Inhomogeneities in the distribution of steel and copper in the boundary zone were detected. Interphase interaction occurs both in the steel and copper parts of the structural boundary: Cu particles with an average size of 5 µm are formed in the iron matrix; Fe particles with an average size of 10 µm are formed in the copper matrix. It was revealed that such structural elements, as solid solutions of both copper and iron, are formed in the boundary zone, with additional mutual dissolution of alloying elements and mechanical mixtures of system components. The presence of the disc-shaped precipitations randomly located in the matrix was revealed in the structure of the “copper–steel” boundary by transmission electron microscopy; this is associated with rapid cooling of alloys and the subsequent thermal effect at lower temperatures during the application of subsequent layers. The existence of these disc-shaped precipitations of steel, arranged randomly in the Cu matrix, allows us to draw conclusions on the spinodal decomposition of alloying elements of steel. The characteristics of mechanical and micromechanical properties of a bimetallic multilayered composite with a complex formed structure lie in the range of characteristics inherent in additive steel and additive copper.

This work investigates the behavior of porous alumina (with the porosity ranging from 18% to 70%) and zirconia (with the porosity ranging from 10% to 60%) ceramics when subjected to deformation by compression and shearing. The analysis of stress-strain curves showed that there is a transition from a typical brittle state for relatively dense ceramics, to a pseudo-plastic one for ceramics with high porosity. The values of the effective Young’s modulus, effective shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio decrease with the increase of the pore space volume of ceramics, which correlates with the appearance of multiple cracking during the deformation of the high porosity ceramics.

In this research, results of the investigation of the sliding friction and wear of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP) and Y-TZP-Al₂O₃samples preliminarily subjected to low-temperature degradation are reported. The investigation was carried out using a pin-on-disk tribometer with simultaneous recording of acoustic emission (AE) and vibration acceleration. The sliding wear process was found to be determined by dynamic direct and inverse Y-TZP transformations detected by monoclinic and tetragonal X-ray diffraction peak ratios. The AE signals generated under direct and inverse transformations can be used to characterize wear and friction mechanisms as well as direct and inversed sliding-induced phase transformations. The AE signal energy grows with the friction coefficient and the inverse transformation degree. Reduction of the AE signal energy indicates establishing the mild wear stage caused by effective stress-induced direct martensitic transformation. The AE signal median frequency increases in the case of lower friction. Numerical studies of wear subsurface fracture under conditions of stress-induced martensitic transformation were used to elucidate the role played by the phase transformation in Y-TZP and Y-TZP-Al₂O₃. Martensitic transformation in Y-TZP was described with use of the non-associated dilatant plasticity model. Simulation results particularly show that increase in the value of dilatancy coefficient from 0 to 0.2 is accompanied by 25%−30% reduce in characteristic length and penetration depth of sliding-induced subsurface cracks. As shown the AE may be an effective tool forin-situmonitoring the subsurface wear of materials experiencing both direct and inverse transformations.