Constant-load creep tests were performed at −10°C at various compressive stresses from 0.05 to 0.75 MPa on specimens taken every 10 m along a firn core extracted at Summit, Greenland in June 2017. The microstructures before and after creep testing were examined using both X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) and optical images from thin sections. An Andrade-like equation was used to describe the primary creep behavior and yielded the time exponent k of 0.17–0.76. The onset of secondary creep occurred at strains of ~0.5–3% but was sometimes not observed at all in shallow firn specimens and at stresses ⩽0.43 MPa even for strain up to 32%. For the 50–80 m firn crept at stresses ⩾0.55 MPa, secondary creep occurred at strains of 2.6 ± 0.28%, and the stress exponent, n, in Glen's law, was found to range from 4.1 to 4.6, similar to those observed for fully dense ice. Micro-CT observations of crept specimens showed that in most cases, the specific surface area, the total porosity and the structure model index decreased, while the structure thickness increased with increasing density. These microstructural characteristics are consistent with the densification of the firn. Optical images from thin sections showed that recrystallization occurred in some specimens that had undergone secondary creep.

Although laser solid forming (LSF) has a wide range of applications in material manufacturing, the technique has been severely limited due to the solidification cracks during rapid laser melting/solidification. In this paper, an LSF technology assisted by friction stir processing (FSP) is proposed to eliminate the LSF crack through the FSP thermomechanical coupling effect, with the Ni–16Cr–8Fe alloy as a representative material. By FSP-assisted LSF, the cracks at the top surface of the Ni–16Cr–8Fe alloy layer were eliminated. Meanwhile, the severe plastic deformation layers can be observed and gradient grains with tens of nanometers to tens of micrometers from the top surface to the inner. The LSF-printed dendrite microstructure was transformed into nanocrystals or nanotwins in the deformation zone with twining as the main deformation mechanism. The grain refinement results in the increase of hardness about 30%.

The metadynamic recrystallization (MDRX) behavior of a medium carbon Cr–Ni–Mo alloyed steel 34CrNiMo was investigated using two-stage hot compression test on a Gleeble thermal-mechanical simulator in the temperature range of 1273–1423 K, strain rate range of 0.1–5.0 s−1, and interval times of 0.5–5 s. The softening of the flow stress at the second stage of compression and microstructure observation confirm the occurrence of MDRX at the elevated temperatures within very short interval time. Then the MDRX softening fraction was calculated based on the flow stress curves. The results indicate that the MDRX softening fraction increased with increasing interval time, deformation temperature, and strain rate. The kinetics of MDRX softening behavior was established using Avrami equation and the apparent activation energy of MDRX for 34CrNiMo steel was evaluated as 93 kJ/mol. The predicted results show good agreements with the experimental ones, indicating the efficiency of proposed kinetics equation.

The microstructural evolution of type 347H heat-resistant austenitic steel during long-term aging at 700–900 °C was investigated by using a transmission microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and electron energy spectrum technology. The microstructural examination showed the typical micrographs of MX carbonitrides and M23C6 carbides after aging. The existence of the Z phase (NbCrN) at the grain boundaries during aging was identified. Meanwhile, the possible precipitation sequence of these particles was also confirmed. In the beginning of aging, fine Nb(C,N) precipitates first, then, M23C6 carbides precipitate along the grain boundaries. Finally, the Z phase is also observed at the grain boundaries. Moreover, the influence of isothermal holding temperature on the precipitation of MX carbonitrides and M23C6 carbides was discussed. The various microstructural characterizations showed that the M23C6 carbides and MX carbonitrides precipitate more easily with the increase of aging temperature. Furthermore, the number and the size of MX particles and M23C6 carbides increase when the isothermal holding time is prolonged.

To study the thermal deformation behavior and microstructural evolution of the type 347H austenitic steel, compression experiments were conducted at the temperatures of 800–1100 °C with strain rates of 0.01–10 s−1. The activation energy and constitutive equation of the type 347H steel during thermal deformation process were determined according to the flow stress curves. Both the hot processing maps and microstructure characteristics under different deformation conditions were investigated. Based on the thermal processing maps, two unstable regions under 800 °C/0.01–10 s−1 and 1100 °C/0.01 s−1 were identified. The processing maps were in favor of optimizing thermal processing parameters and improving thermal processing properties of the type 347H austenitic steel. After thermal deformation, the dislocation in the austenite matrix increases significantly. Besides, in the stable regions, the precipitation of carbides is facilitated by thermal deformation.

A technique has been developed to provide real-time imaging, with several nanometer resolution, of organometallic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) by scanning electron microscopy under conditions approaching those used in the microelectronics industry. The technique involves modifications to an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) to facilitate organometallic precursor gas handling and sample heating. To demonstrate the usefulness of this technique for studying the microstructural evolution of CVD-grown metal films, results of Al/SiO2 CVD experiments are presented.