Specimen size and grain size effects on tensile strength of Ag microwires

The coupled effects of grain size and specimen size on strength in miniaturized specimens remain largely unknown. Here, the tensile strength of Ag wires of thickness (t) 20-50 mu m and grain size (d) 3.5-40.6 pm was found to depend on both t and d. The data also revealed the existence of a strengthening effect depending on shape as the ratio t/d decreases from similar to 3, in addition to the effects of the absolute specimen and grain size. (C) 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.