The mechanical characterization of fully dense Ni sheets with different grain sizes: Application of DIC

The mechanical behaviors of metals vary with the grain size. Typically grain size change from micro to nanometer would cause increase in hardness and strength and a decrease in ductility. In this study, two sorts of fully dense, nanocrystalline and coarse-grained Nickel sheets were prepared. Fully dense, sheets with a purity of 99.9% were purchased from Integran Technologies Inc. (Canada). Their nominal grain sizes are about 20nm and were produced by electrodeposition. And the fully dense, coarse-grained Ni sheets with a purity of 99.9% were mechanically polished to a thickness of approximately 0.2 mm and afterwards annealed at 700oC. Both sorts of specimens were subjected to monotonic uniaxial tensile load. The surface intensity was documented with high resolution imaging system. The deformation including displacement and strain fields were quantified with digital image correlation (DIC) algorithm. Experimental results including, stress-strain curve, strain distributions at critical states are presented.