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Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Determining the Mechanical Strength of Ultra-Fine-Grained Metals
Published on: November 22, 2021
Ultimate Strength of Nanotwinned Face-Centered Cubic Metals
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 5V6, Canada.
Abstract:
In this work, we present a theoretical model to predict the ultimate strength of nanotwinned face-centered cubic (fcc) metals based on the activation energy for phase transformation (i.e., between the matrix and the twinned counterpart) mediated by the migration of {112}-type step on Σ3(111) twin boundaries. By integrating the Hall-Petch strengthening and grain boundary sliding into this model, we can accurately predict the strength of four representative nanotwinned (nt) fcc metals (nt-Cu, nt-Ag, nt-Ni, and nt-Al) within a broad range of grain sizes including the so-called nanocrystalline-nanotwinned regime. This framework is built on material parameters which directly connect the theoretical calculations with experimental measurements and reveals new insights into the design of ultrastrong metals and alloys.
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