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Bimodal plate structures induced by pulsed laser in duplex-phase Zr alloy

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Abstract

A duplex-phase Zr-2.5Nb alloy was treated by pulsed laser, followed by careful microstructural characterization using field emission gun scanning electron microscope and attached electron backscatter diffraction. Beneath the modification zones with common uniform α-plate structures (UPS), a layer of unreported bimodal α-plate structures (BPS) featured by coarse (submicron) plates forming multiple cores surrounded by dense fine (nanoscale) plates was found. Presence of such BPS is attributed to non-equilibrium thermodynamic conditions induced by the pulsed laser treatments. Limited diffusion of Nb due to the short pulse during laser heating allows β phases with distinctly different Nb contents to be presented: Nb-enriched prior β films and Nb-depleted β phases, transforming into the fine and the coarse plates during cooling, respectively. Orientation analyses show that both types of plates in the BPS are aroused essentially from a single β orientation, suggesting epitaxial growth of the Nb-depleted β phases from the preexisting β films.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 400054, China

    LinJiang Chai, ShuYan Wang & Hao Wu

  2. National Engineering Research Center for Equipment and Technology of Cold Strip Rolling, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China

    ZhiNan Yang

  3. Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    HuCheng Pan

  4. Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Bo Song & Ning Guo

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  1. LinJiang Chai
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  2. ShuYan Wang
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  3. Hao Wu
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  4. ZhiNan Yang
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  5. HuCheng Pan
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  6. Bo Song
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  7. Ning Guo
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Correspondence to LinJiang Chai or Ning Guo.

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Chai, L., Wang, S., Wu, H. et al. Bimodal plate structures induced by pulsed laser in duplex-phase Zr alloy. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 60, 587–592 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-016-0527-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-016-0527-6

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