Micromechanics of time-dependent deformation in a dispersion-hardened polycrystal (Q1094185)

A micromechanical theory is developed to study the time-dependent creep behavior of a two-phase alloy, consisting of a polycrystalline matrix and uniformly dispersed spherical particles. It is shown that there are two major sources of dispersion hardening-metallurgical, involving the bypassing of particles by dislocations, and mechanical, concerning the stress redistribution among the constituent phases and the calculation of creep strains. The metallurgical effect is implemented in a dispersion- dependent micro constitutive equation of slip systems. The problem of stress redistribution due to both the elastic and the plastic inhomogeneity is also analyzed. The results indicate that, while the stress in the creeping matrix of a constituent grain tends to decrease, the stress in the embedded inclusions is dependent upon the grain orientation in which they are embedded, and may increase or decrease. The overall creep behavior is calculated from the averaging process over the orientation of its constituent grains. This theory is finally applied to a cobalt system reinforced with rutile particles. Some merits and limitations of the theory are also discussed.