Superplasticity in alloys

In recent years superplasticity research has been mainly developed through two major streams: the discovery of superplasticity in various advanced materials such as intermetallics and high-performance ceramics; and studies on the high strain rate superplasticity in Al-base composites and mechanically alloyed materials. As the deformation of superplastic flow takes place primarily by grain boundary sliding in these materials a deepening of our understanding of atomic bonding in grain boundaries and its role in grain boundary sliding is important for future studies of the superplasticity in various materials.