LAUSR

Abstract Ni and Ti sheets were subjected to intense plastic deformation through ball collisions initiated within a mechanically vibrated vial. The Ti and Ni sheets were cut to discs and affixed to opposite sides of the vial. In this report, we demonstrate the development of plastic flow and intermixing of components on the Ni sheet. Grinding media fragments were transferred and embedded into the Ni surface via ball milling. The ball collisions generated a strong material flow, inducing mechanical intermixing of the introduced components. When different materials flowed together, the components split and penetrated each other along the grain boundaries, forming parallel layers. Nanolaminated structures were developed throughout the elongation process via a slip mechanism. Shearing forces pushed the introduced material along the developing lamella interface, forcing it to slide. The face centered cubic (Fe, Ni) phase developed on the basis of the Ni lamella when nanosized elemental lamellae slid in parallel layers. Component intermixing began at strain localization zones, gradually spreading over the entire deformation-processed volume, resulting in the formation of a continuous alloyed layer. The formation of an alloyed surface layer significantly increased the hardness of the Ni sheet.