Towards understanding the brittle-ductile transition in the extreme manufacturing

The brittle-ductile transition (BDT) widely exists in the manufacturing with extremely small deformation scale, thermally assisted machining, and high-speed machining. This paper reviews the BDT in extreme manufacturing. The factors affecting the BDT in extreme manufacturing are analyzed, including the deformation scale and deformation temperature induced brittle-to-ductile transition, and the reverse transition induced by grain size and strain rate. A discussion is arranged to explore the mechanisms of BDT and how to improve the machinability based on the BDT. It is proposed that the mutual transition between brittleness and ductility results from the competition between the occurrence of plastic deformation and the propagation of cracks. The brittleness or ductility of machined material should benefit a specific manufacturing process, which can be regulated by the deformation scale, deformation temperature and machining speed.

Automated summary

This paper reviews the brittle-ductile transition (BDT) in extreme manufacturing, analyzes the factors affecting it, and discusses the mechanisms behind it. It suggests that the competition between plastic deformation and crack propagation determines the transition between brittleness and ductility. The brittleness or ductility of the machined material should be regulated by deformation scale, deformation temperature, and machining speed to benefit specific manufacturing processes.