Monotonic and cyclic deformation behaviour of ultrafine-grained aluminium

The effect of the enhanced strain-rate sensitivity (SRS) of ultrafine-grained commercially pure aluminium Al 99.5 on the mechanical properties under monotonic as well as under cyclic loading was investigated. Compared with the conventional grain-sized counterpart, for the monotonic tests, a strongly enhanced strength combined with a high ductility was obtained, depending on the strain rate. The enhanced SRS also affects the cyclic deformation behaviour and the fatigue lives. At a lower strain rate shorter fatigue lives and a different cyclic hardening behaviour are observed. Microstructural changes during cyclic deformation are investigated by X-ray diffraction profile analysis. Based on the fatigue behaviour and the X-ray diffraction profile analysis, thermally activated annihilation processes of dislocations are regarded to be the relevant deformation mechanism leading to enhanced SRS and ductility. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.