Ultra-strong tungsten wire with high-proportion coincidence site lattice grain boundary

Abstract

Tungsten wire, known for its high strength, has been developed for more than one century, but the understanding of its microstructure and deformation mechanisms remains limited, so do its applications. Near 6 GPa ultra-strong tungsten wires were prepared with help of cerium oxide addition. The fiber grains in the tungsten wire were refined from 399 to 39 nm on average with a drawing strain of 4.87, showing a geometrical refinement of the grain size without saturation. It was benefited from the cerium oxide, together with possible deformation twinning, offset the dynamic coarsening caused by boundary activation that is normally observed during the deformation of pure metals. Increased coincidence site lattice grain boundaries, including up to 15% of Σ3 twin boundaries have been detected in the tungsten wire. The microstructural evolution and deformation mechanisms of these heavily drawn tungsten wires are discussed based on quantitative characterization down to the atomic scale.

Keywords

Tungsten / ultrahigh strength / deformation twinning / cold drawing / coincidence site lattice boundary

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