Anomalous Tensile Strength and Fracture Behavior of Polycrystalline Iridium from Room Temperature to 1600 °C

The nature of the brittleness of Iridium crystal is still unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the mechanism of ductile-to-brittle transition (DBT) and the fracture behavior in polycrystalline Iridium. Tensile tests are conducted from room temperature to 1600 °C. Furthermore, fracture morphology and deformation substructures are characterized by OM, SEM, and TEM. The results show that the tensile strength increases anomalously below 600 °C and then decreases with the increasing temperature. The elongation increases slowly from room temperature to 700 °C, and it then changes sharply from 9.88% at 700 °C to 31% at 800 °C. Below 700 °C, the polycrystalline Iridium exhibits intergranular and partial transgranular cleavage fracture pattern. In contrast, the ductile fracture morphologies associated with microvoids coalescence are observed between 800 and 1600 °C. Massive tangling screw dislocations form at 700 °C and less tangles appear when stretching at 900 °C, manifesting that the DBT is around 800 °C in polycrystalline Iridium.