Plasticity and Size Effects in High Purity Cobalt: An Experimental Study
Résumé
The occurrence of size effects in cobalt was examined by the analysis of mechanical properties of samples with thickness t, in a large range of grain size d giving a number of grains across the thickness t/d . On Hall-Petch plots, from the very beginning of plastic strain, two linear behaviors are notable: the polycrystalline one for higher t/d and the multicrystalline one for lower t/d in which the flow stress is strongly reduced. (t/d) c is the threshold value between the two behaviors taking a value of around 14. This high value is directly linked to the low stacking fault energy of cobalt. The microstructure of the polycrystalline samples exhibits a strong basal texture and a small proportion of a secondary face-centered cubic phase in a hexagonal close-packed main phase was evidenced. TEM analysis enables to characterize the dislocations and the stacking faults present in the two phases. To complete the analysis, two plasticity stages can be distinguished: stage A corresponding to dislocations gliding and stage B driven by twinning. Size effects in cobalt are found to occur during gliding process and could be related to surface effects as previously shown in face-centered cubic metals.