Logarithmic wave-mechanical effects in polycrystalline metals : theory and experiment

Abstract

Schrödinger-type wave equations with logarithmic nonlinearity occur in hydrodynamic models of Korteweg-type materials with capillarity and surface tension, which can undergo liquid–solid or liquid–gas phase transitions. One of the predictions of the theory is a periodic pattern of density inhomogeneities occurring in the form of either bubbles (topological phase), or cells (non-topological phase). Such inhomogeneities are described by solitonic solutions of a logarithmic wave equation, gaussons and kinks, in the vicinity of the liquid–solid phase transition. During the solidification process, these inhomogeneities become centers of nucleation, thus shaping the polycrystalline structure of the metal grains. The theory predicts a Gaussian profile of material density inside such a cell, which should manifest in a Gaussian-like profile of microhardness inside a grain. We report experimental evidence of large-scale periodicity in the structure of grains in the ferrite steel S235/A570, copper C-Cu/C14200, austenite in steel X10CrNiTi18-10/AISI 321, and aluminum–magnesium alloy 5083/5056; and also Gaussian-like profiles of microhardness inside an averaged grain in these materials.