The aim of this study is to produce large quantities of bulk zirconium with an ultrafine grained microstructure and with enhanced properties. Accumulative roll bonding (ARB), a severe plastic deformation technique based on rolling, is chosen due to its availability in industrial environment. The texture, microstructure and mechanical behavior of bulk ultrafine grained (ufg) Zr fabricated by accumulative roll bonding is investigated by electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and mechanical testing. A reasonably homogeneous and equiaxed ufg structure, with a large fraction of high angle boundaries (HABs, ∼70%), can be obtained in Zr after only two ARB cycles. The average grain size, counting only HABs (theta>15°), is 400 nm. (Sub)grain size is equal to 320 nm. The yield stress and ultimate tensile stress (UTS) values are nearly double those from conventionally processed Zr with only a slight loss of ductility. Optimum processing conditions include large thickness reductions per pass (∼75%), which enhance grain refinement, and a rolling temperature (T ∼ 0.3Tm) at which a sufficient number of slip modes are activated, with an absence of significant grain growth. Grain refinement takes place by geometrical thinning and grain subdivision by the formation of geometrically necessary boundaries. The formation of equiaxed grains by geometric dynamic recrystallization is facilitated by enhanced diffusion due to adabatic heating. Optical microscopy examination and shear testing suggest accepted bonding quality compared to that achieved in materials processed by diffusion bonding and that obtained in other ARB studies. Biocompatibility of ultrafine grained Zr processed by large strain rolling is studied by evaluating the behavior of human osteoblast cells. It is suggested that ultrafine grained Zr has a similar good biocompatibility as Ti6Al4V alloy and conventional Zr with a large grain size have. The improved mechanical properties together with an excellent biocompatibility make ultrafine grained Zr a promising biomaterial for surgical implants.
展开▼
