ABSTRACT
The present work investigated the effect of ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT) assisted with electropulsing (EP) on the microstructure of D36 low-carbon steel. Optical microscope and scanning electron microscope were employed to reveal the microstructural evolution of the specimen subjected to the treatment. In comparison with UIT solely, a higher hardness on the superficial layer was obtained by EP-UIT and the fracture on treated surface was avoided effectively which meant a better plasticity. The electron back scatter diffraction analysis indicated a high density of low-angle boundary network owing to the large strain introduced. The distinguishing features of EP-UIT were ascribed to the athermal effect of drifting electrons which facilitate the mobilising of dislocations in the deformation.
This paper is part of a themed issue on Materials in External Fields.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.