Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Determining the Mechanical Strength of Ultra-Fine-Grained Metals
Published on: November 22, 2021
The origin of the boundary strengthening in polycrystal-inspired architected materials
Chen Liu1, Jedsada Lertthanasarn2, Minh-Son Pham2
1Engineering Alloys, Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, UK. c.liu16@imperial.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Crystal-inspired approach is found to be highly successful in designing extraordinarily damage-tolerant architected materials. i.e. meta-crystals, necessitating in-depth fundamental studies to reveal the underlying mechanisms responsible for the strengthening in meta-crystals. Such understanding will enable greater confidence to control not only strength, but also spatial local deformation. In this study, the mechanisms underlying shear band activities were investigated and discussed to provide a solid basis for predicting and controlling the local deformation behaviour in meta-crystals. The boundary strengthening in polycrystal-like meta-crystals was found to relate to the interaction between shear bands and polygrain-like boundaries. More importantly, the boundary type and coherency were found to be influential as they govern the transmission of shear bands across meta-grains boundaries. The obtained insights in this study provide crucial knowledge in developing high strength architected materials with great capacity in controlling and programming the mechanical strength and damage path.
Related Concept Videos
Spanning Openings in Brick Walls
Lintels are primary supports used to span openings and can be crafted from materials such as reinforced concrete, steel-reinforced brick masonry, or simple steel angles. These are straightforward to install and are typically concealed...
Composite Masonry Walls
Stress-Strain Diagram - Brittle Materials
Bonding and Strength of Aggregate
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....

