Microstructures, mechanical properties and strengthening mechanisms of cast Cu–Al alloys processed by cryorolling

Abstract

In the present work, the cast structures of Cu-4.5wt% Al alloy was homogenized by annealing at 800 °C for 4 h. The samples were kept under LN2before and during the rolling process in each pass to maintain a constant LN2temperature. Mechanical properties were evaluated by the tensile test. Microstructural analysis was carried by optical microscopy and TEM analysis. The maximum yield strength (YS) of the 75 % cryorolled samples of Cu-4.5wt% Al alloy was found to be 786 MPa with a ductility of 4.8 %. This is due to the formation of ultrafine grains and nano-twins possibly play the pivotal role for the improved YS and ductility. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017.