The brittle-to-ductile transition in cold-rolled tungsten sheets: On the loss of room-temperature ductility after annealing and the phenomenon of 45° embrittlement. (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bonnekoh, Carsten; Lied, Philipp; Pantleon, Wolfgang; Karcher, Thomas; Leiste, Harald; Hoffmann, Andreas; Reiser, Jens; Rieth, Michael
• Is Part Of: International journal of refractory metals & hard materials. Volume 93(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: Isothermal heat treatment -- Recovery -- Softening kinetics -- Apparent activation volume -- Annealing texture; Heat resistant alloys -- Periodicals; Refractory materials -- Periodicals; Metallography -- Periodicals; Alliages réfractaires -- Périodiques; Matériaux réfractaires -- Périodiques; Métallographie -- Périodiques; Heat resistant alloys; Metallography; Refractory materials; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 669.73
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2020.105347
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0263-4368

Abstract

Abstract: The high brittle-to-ductile transition (BDT) temperature of conventionally produced tungsten (W), challenges the design of W-based structural components. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of cold rolling to produce W sheets, which are ductile at room temperature and exhibit a BDT temperature of 208 K. In order to assess the thermal stability of these materials, we conducted isothermal heat treatments (at 1300 K, for annealing durations between 0.1 h and 210 h) combined with studies on the evolution of mechanical properties and microstructure of a severely deformed undoped W sheet. With this work, we demonstrate the need for a stabilized microstructure before utilization of cold-rolled W in high-temperature applications can take place successfully. After annealing at 1300 K for 6 h, the material properties changed remarkably: The BDT temperature increases from 208 K to 473 K and the sharp BDT of the as-rolled condition transforms into a wide transition regime spanning over more than 200 K. This means in fact, an endangered structural integrity at room temperature. We also address the so-called phenomenon of 45° embrittlement of W sheets. Here we show that cleavage fracture in strongly textured W sheets always takes place with an inclination angle of 45° to the rolling direction, independent of the studied material condition, whether as-rolled or annealed. An in-depth study of the microstructure indicates a correlation between an increased BDT temperature caused by annealing and microstructural coarsening presumably by extended recovery. We conclude that 45° embrittlement needs to be comprehended as a combined effect of an increased spacing between grain boundaries along the crack front, leading to an increased BDT, and a high orientation density of the rotated cube component or texture components close to that, which determine the preferred crack propagation of 45° to the rolling direction. Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image Highlights: Hardness drops significantly during the first minutes of annealing. Grain coarsening is presumably mediated by extended recovery. After annealing at 1300 K for 6 h, room-temperature ductility is lost. BDT temperature follows a Hall–Petch-like relationship considering the mean chord length. 45° embrittlement is a combined effect of sharp rolling texture and grain coarsening.