Mechanical properties of cyromilled nanocrystalline Zn studied by the miniaturized disk bend test

Abstract The miniaturized disk bend test (MDBT) is useful for the study of the mechanical properties of small specimens in tension. The yield stress of cryomilled nanocrystalline Zn measured by MDBT shows periodic hardening and softening with milling time, consistent with the variation of microhardness with milling time. The periodic softening is due to the reduction of dislocation density controlled by dynamic recrystallization. The ductility of these softened nanocrystalline Zn specimens is consistently higher than that of the hardened specimens. Young’s modulus shows little variation with the average grain size.