Deformation Mechanics and Microstructure Evolution During Microforming of Metals

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The research objective of this award is to study the mechanics of metal deformation during microextrusion and their effect on the resulting grain structures. The experimental approach will utilize an optically transparent micro-scale extrusion die to directly visualize material behavior in a prototypical microforming configuration. By utilizing advanced high speed image processing techniques in combination with thermography, direct insights into the spatio-temporal variation of the deformation mechanics will be obtained. This characterization will be coupled with quantitative electron microscopy to elucidate the mechanisms by which plastic strains in microforming are accommodated by the evolving grain structure. The resulting process-structure mappings are expected provide the empirical data to help reliably model, predict and manipulate process and product outcomes in microforming. If successful, the results are critical to a better understanding of the mechanics of microforming systems and of importance to the manufacturing and fabrication of advanced microsystems. The results of the research can be applied to a wide variety of engineering sectors including electromechanical, biomedical and defense manufacturing industries where the reliability of metallic microcomponents can determine the product life and performance. This grant will also support a cross-disciplinary, research-integrated education program targeted at the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral levels by sparking collaborative initiatives between the Medical Center and the School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.