Temperature and Grain Size Dependence of Yielding and Fracture of Pd-2 wt% Cd Alloy

The plastic deformation of polycrystalline metals and alloys is strongly influenced by the grain size and the working temperature. Mott showed that hardening of polycrystals was due to the activation of Frank--Read dislocation sources and the subsequent formation of pile-ups at the grain boundaries. Besides, the fracture of a metal occurs when the applied stress is at least sufficient to introduce a newly created surface in its interior. The aim is to investigate the effect of the grain size and the working temperature on the work hardening parameters of Pb--2 wt.% Cd alloy in the temperature range 443-503K.