The Effect of Boundary Structure on the Mechanical Properties of Aluminium Alloys

The microstructure in heavily deformed metals can be characterized as a complex “mixture” of low and high angle boundaries. By careful annealing of such cold deformed conditions, ultra-fine grained materials can be obtained. This phenomenon has been known for long and utilised in the production of special aluminium sheet qualities, and has received new interest with the emergence of the equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) technique. This work reviews the mechanical properties resulting from plastic deformation and annealing of aluminium, looking at alloys which prior to annealing was subjected to both severe plastic deformation (ECAP) and more conventional deformation by cold rolling. The effect of the resulting microstructures on the subsequent work hardening properties are model, applying the new microstructural metal plasticity model (MMP-model) developed in Trondheim over the last decade.