This paper is a collection of selected contributions of the 1st International Workshop on Mechanochemistry of Metal Hydrides that was held in Oslo in May 2018. In this paper, the recent developments in the use of mechanochemistry to synthesize and modify metal hydrides are reviewed. A special emphasis is made on new techniques beside the traditional way of ball milling. High energy milling, ball milling under hydrogen reactive gas, cryomilling and severe plastic deformation techniques such as High-Pressure Torsion (HPT), Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT) and cold rolling are discussed. The new characterization method of in-situ X-ray diffraction during milling is described.

Severe plastic deformation techniques, such as high-pressure torsion (HPT), have been increasingly applied on powder materials to consolidate bulk nanostructured materials. In this context, the aim of the present study is to compare the plastic deformation characteristics during HPT of two distinct Mg-based powder precursors: (i) atomized micro-sized powder and (ii) condensed and passivated nanopowder. Dynamic recrystallization could take place during HPT consolidation of the atomized powder particles while the oxide pinning of the grain boundaries restricted it for the condensed powder. Consequently, there have been substantial differences in the development of the microstructure, texture, local strain heterogeneities, and hardness in the two types of consolidated products. Different types of local strain heterogeneities were also revealed in the consolidated products. The associated diversity in microstructure within the same consolidated product has been demonstrated to have an effect on the hydrogen activation kinetics to form hydrides for these Mg-based materials that could be suitable for solid state H-storage applications.

The potential of ultrasonic surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) at different temperatures (including cryogenic) for improving the fatigue performance of 304L austenitic stainless steel is evaluated along with the effect of the fatigue loading conditions. Processing parameters such as the vibration amplitude, the size, and the material of the shot medias were fixed. Treatments of 20 min at room temperature and cryogenic temperature were compared to the untreated material by performing rotating–bending fatigue tests at 10 Hz. The fatigue limit was increased by approximately 30% for both peening temperatures. Meanwhile, samples treated for 60 min at room temperature were compared to the initial state in uniaxial fatigue tests performed at R = −1 (fully reversed tension–compression) at 10 Hz, and the fatigue limit enhancement was approximately 20%. In addition, the temperature measurements done during the tests revealed a negligible self-heating (∆t < 50 °C) of the run-out specimens, whereas, at high stress amplitudes, temperature changes as high as 300 °C were measured. SMAT was able to increase the stress range for which no significant local self-heating was reported on the surface.

Additive manufacturing allows the manufacture of parts made of functionally graded materials (FGM) with a chemical gradient. This research work underlines that the use of FGM makes it possible to study mechanical, microstructural or biological characteristics while minimizing the number of required samples. The application of severe plastic deformation (SPD) by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) on FGM brings new insights on a major question in this field: which is the most important parameter between roughness, chemistry and microstructure modification on biocompatibility? Our study demonstrates that roughness has a large impact on adhesion while microstructure refinement plays a key role during the early stage of proliferation. After several days, chemistry is the main parameter that holds sway in the proliferation stage. With this respect, we also show that niobium has a much better biocompatibility than molybdenum when alloyed with titanium.

Various techniques enabling surface severe plastic deformation (SSPD) have been developed or optimised over the past years. This manuscript presents a broad overview of recent developments in the field of SSPD and its application that take advantages of having a deformed gradient surface with both (i) higher strength and (ii) an improved "reactivity". First, the principle and technological advantages/disadvantages of several SSPD technologies, involving either guided or non-directional mechanical impacts, are recalled. Then, after a short recall on the nature of the structure the modified surface formed under SSPD, the effects of the processing parameters and temperature of deformation on the surface roughness and subsurface microstructure modifications are illustrated with a particular emphasis on the surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) and ultrasonic shot peening (USP) techniques deriving from the traditional pre-strain shot peening. The effect of these surface and sub-surface modifications on the mechanical properties, and in particular the fatigue response, are recalled with a special emphasis on the surface integrity and potential over shot peening. Then, the manuscript concentrates on the effect of the surface enhanced diffusion of chemical species induced by the presence of structural defects to modify the corrosion behaviour and enhance the potential assisted SSPD + thermo-chemically “duplex” treatments. In these cases, in addition to induce grain refinement and dislocations, the importance of controlling some potential surface contamination is stressed. Finally, the manuscript terminates by illustrating some new research studies on potential applications for the challenges in the hydrogen sector for its solid-state storage and the protection of mechanical infrastructures as well as for bio-medical applications with biocompatible Ti-based alloys and biodegradable Mg-based ones.

This work investigates the mechanisms of the microstructure evolution in the melted surface layers of a WC-6% Co hard alloy when increasing the number of pulses of irradiation by high-current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) treatment. After one pulse of irradiation, about 50% of the stable hcp WC phase was melted and resolidified into the metastable fcc form (WC_1−x). When increasing the numbers of pulse irradiation, the WC phase decomposed into ultrafine-grained WC_1−x plus nanosized graphite under our selected energy condition. Because of the rapidity of HCPEB carried under vacuum, the formation of the brittle W₂C phase was avoided. In the initial Co-rich areas, where the Co was evaporated, melting and solidification led to the formation of nanostructures Co₃W₉C₄ and Co₃W₃C. The volume fraction of the nano domains containing WC_1−x, Co₃W₉C₄, and Co₃W₃C phases reached its maximum after 20 pulses of irradiation. The improved properties after 20 pulses are therefore due to the presence of nano graphite that served as lubricant and dramatically decreased the friction coefficient, while the ultrafine-grained carbides and the nano domains contribute to the improvement of the surface microhardness and wear resistance.