Effects of processing on texture, internal stresses and mechanical properties during the pulsed electrodeposition of nanocrystalline and ultrafine-grained nickel

The mechanical properties of nanocrystalline and ultrafine-grained metals strongly depend on grain size, grain boundary segregation, texture and internal stresses. In this paper a thorough systematic analysis is given on the influence of different pulsed electrodeposition processing parameters and grain refiners on the grain size, texture and segregation of Ni and thus on internal stresses. The grain refiner content of the electrolyte, mainly the saccharin content, and the pulse parameters on- and off-time as well as the pulse current density were varied systematically. The combination of different methods of stress and texture analysis allows, among other things, a careful discussion of the influence of saccharin on stress and texture development. Massive tensile specimens were produced with different grain sizes and deformed in incremental load tests. These tests clearly demonstrate the strong effect of the production process on the deformation behavior under constant load.