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Related Concept Videos

Microcracking in Concrete01:20

Microcracking in Concrete

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Microcracking in concrete refers to the tiny cracks that can form within the material even before any external load is applied. These microcracks typically occur at the interface between the coarse aggregate and the hydrated cement paste, often as a result of differential volume changes prompted by variations in stress-strain behavior, as well as thermal and moisture movement. Initially, these microcracks remain stable and do not grow substantially until the concrete is stressed to about 30...
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Normal Strain under Axial Loading01:20

Normal Strain under Axial Loading

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Normal strain under axial loading is an important concept in the field of mechanics of materials. Axial loading implies the application of a force along the axis of a material, like a column or bar. This force can either compress or stretch the material. In the context of axial loading, normal strain is the deformation experienced by the material in the direction of the loading force. It's calculated as the change in length divided by the original length of the material. This unitless ratio...
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Elastic Strain Energy for Shearing Stresses01:20

Elastic Strain Energy for Shearing Stresses

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As discussed in previous lessons, strain energy in a material is the energy stored when it is elastically deformed, a concept crucial in materials science and mechanical engineering. This energy results from the internal work done against the cohesive forces within the material. When a material undergoes shearing stress and corresponding shearing strain, the strain energy density, which is the energy stored per unit volume, is calculated. Within the elastic limit, where the stress is...
458
Types of Non-structural Cracks in Concrete01:28

Types of Non-structural Cracks in Concrete

452
Non-structural cracks are primarily of three types: plastic, early-age thermal, and drying shrinkage cracks. Plastic cracks are further classified into plastic shrinkage cracks and plastic settlement cracks.
Plastic shrinkage cracks typically form within hours after the concrete is poured. The concrete's surface dries faster than the bottom, creating tensile stress that the still-plastic concrete cannot withstand, leading to diagonal or randomly patterned cracks on the concrete surface.
452
Toughness and Hardness of Aggregate01:22

Toughness and Hardness of Aggregate

556
Toughness and hardness are critical properties of aggregate materials used in concrete, particularly on pavement surfaces and industrial flooring subjected to heavy loads. Toughness is defined as the aggregate's resistance to failure by impact and is measured by the aggregate impact value (AIV). For this, the aggregate impact value test is performed, wherein the impact is delivered by a standard hammer, which falls freely under its own weight onto the aggregates. The aggregates fragment in...
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Tensile Strength Considerations of Concrete01:16

Tensile Strength Considerations of Concrete

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Considering the tensile strength of concrete involves recognizing that the theoretical strength of cement paste can be up to a thousand times higher than what is observed in practical applications. This significant discrepancy is largely attributed to the presence of microscopic cracks within the concrete. These cracks tend to amplify stress at their tips when a load is applied, a phenomenon explained by Griffith's theory of brittle fracture.
The dimensions and shape of a concrete specimen...
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Toughness enhancement by massive dislocation absorption at the crack front.

Jiazhi Zhang1, Qin Yu2, Jiazhuang Tian1

  • 1Department of Advanced Optical and Microelectronic Equipment, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 11, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Researchers discovered that dislocations are absorbed into austenite in a novel steel, preventing cracks and overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off. This leads to cost-effective steels with superior strength, ductility, and toughness.

Keywords:
dislocation absorptionheterogeneous steelquenching-partioning-temperingretained austenitestrength-ductility-toughness

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Metallurgy
  • Mechanical Engineering

Background:

  • Achieving high-performance structural materials often faces a strength-ductility/toughness trade-off due to localized stress and limited dislocation mobility.
  • Developing low-cost, high-performance materials remains a key challenge in modern engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate an anomalous dislocation behavior at crack fronts in heterogeneous steels.
  • To explore a novel mechanism for enhancing material properties by overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a heterogeneous steel comprising tempered lath martensite and carbon-enriched retained austenite.
  • Microstructural analysis to observe dislocation behavior at crack fronts.
  • Mechanical testing to evaluate strength, ductility, and fracture toughness.

Main Results:

  • Observed dislocation absorption at the crack front, contrasting with typical dislocation emission.
  • Demonstrated that austenite absorbs dislocations from martensite, alleviating stress concentration and retarding crack propagation.
  • Achieved exceptional properties: strength-elongation product > 50 GPa·% and fracture toughness > 130 MPa·m1/2.

Conclusions:

  • A novel toughening strategy based on dislocation absorption into retained austenite is effective.
  • This mechanism enables the development of cost-effective plain steels with ultrahigh strength, ductility, and toughness.
  • The findings offer a promising route for advanced steel development in the industry.