Characterization of superplastic behaviour in the (α + β) phase field of Zr–2.5 wt.%Nb alloy

The effect of grain size on superplastic deformation in Zr–2.5 wt.%Nb was studied by constructing processing maps (which depict the variation of strain rate sensitivity with temperature and strain rate) in the temperature range of 650–830 °C and strain rate range of 5 × 10−6 to 2 × 10−3 s−1. The occurrence of superplastic domain with respect to temperature and strain rate was identified for three grain sizes (4, 10 and 16 μm). The 4 μm grain size material exhibited a domain centered around 800 °C and 10−4 s−1, exhibiting a ductility of 700%. With increasing grain size the domain shifts to higher temperatures and lower strain rates. A detailed characterization of deformed microstructure revealed equiaxed grain structure (curved boundaries) with considerable grain growth within the superplastic domain. Creep equation was used to evaluate the parameters of superplastic deformation, which resulted in activation energy of 125 kJ/mol and a grain size exponent of 1.6. The accommodation mechanism for superplastic deformation was deduced to be either non-conservative jog motion or grain boundary migration, with the rate controlling step for both being the grain boundary diffusion of Zr and Nb in β phase.