The effects of aging treatment and the volume fraction of precipitation particles on the nano-hardness and nano-indentation morphology of Ni-based single crystal superalloys are systematically investigated. Using nano-indentation tests and atomic force microscopy (AFM), this study examined the mechanical properties and related physical mechanisms of Ni-based superalloys that have two volume fractions of precipitation particles and four aging treatment times. Results analyzed using the Oliver–Pharr method indicate that prolonging the aging time or increasing the volume fraction of particles enhances the nano-hardness and creep resistance of Ni-based single crystal superalloys and reduces the indentation-affected area. Additionally, the nano-hardness and elastic modulus decrease gradually with increasing applied force, revealing an obvious indentation size effect. These variations are closely linked to the size and density of particles and work hardening rate, as well as to the topologically close-packed (TCP) phases, which influence dislocation movement and accumulation within the material and lead to various nano-indentation behavior in Ni-based single crystal superalloys. The related study provides theoretical guidance and experimental data to support the design and application of superalloys.

The uniaxial tensile and fracture properties are the basic data for the structural integrity assessment of ductile material. In this study, the stress-strain relations of ductile materials are predicted by the SPT-related stress-strain relation (SPT-SR) model directly through SPT experiment, which agree with the relations determined by the finite-element-analysis aided testing (FAT) method. Further, the experimental procedures of SPT are simulated by combining the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model and the predicted stress-strain relations. The parameters of GTN model can be determined when the simulated load-displacement curves of SPT specimens coincide with the experimental results. Finally, the ductile crack propagation behaviors of the single edge-notched bending (SEB) specimens are simulated utilizing the calibrated GTN model, and the corresponding J resistance curves are successfully predicted via the normalization method.

In this paper, a device with high accuracy capacitive sensor (with the error of 0.1 micrometer) is constructed to measure the axial thermal expansion coefficent of the twisted carbon fibers and yarns of Kevlar. A theoretical model based on the thermal elasticity and the geometrical features of the twisted structure is also presented to predict the axial expansion coefficient. It is found that the twist angle, diameter and pitch have remarkable influences on the axial thermal expansion coefficients of the twisted carbon fibers and Kevlar strands, and the calculated results are in good agreement with experimental data. We found that, with the increase of the twist angle, the absolute value of the axial thermal expansion coefficient increases. For the Kevlar samples, the expansion coefficient will grow by about 46% when the twist angle increases from 0 to 25 degrees, while the carbon fiber samples will grow by about 72% when the twist angle increases from 0 to 35 degrees. The experimental measurements and the model calculations reveal important properties of the thermal expansion in the twisted structures. Most notably, the expansion of the strand during heating or cooling can be zero when the twist angle is around β = arcsin(αL/αT)^1/2, where β denotes twist angle of the strand and αL, αT are the longitute and the transverse thermal expansion coefficient of the strand, respectively. According to the present experiments and analyses, a method to control the axial thermal expansion coefficient of this new kind of twisted structure is proposed. Moreover, the mechanism of this tunable thermal expansion is discussed. Based on the model, a method that can be used to rectify the thermal expansion properties of the twist structures is established. This may be a new way of fabricating zero expansion composite materials in the future.