Grain boundary hardening and triple junction hardening in polycrystalline molybdenum

The grain boundary and triple junction hardenings in molybdenum with different carbon content were studied in connection with the character and the connectivity of grain boundaries at triple junctions by the micro-indentation test. The triple junction hardening is smaller at the junctions composed of low-angle and Sigma boundaries than at the junctions composed of random boundaries. This difference in the hardening depending on the grain boundary connectivity becomes more significant with a decrease in carbon content in molybdenum. (C) 2004 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.