Enhancing strength-ductility synergy of carbon nanotube/7055Al composite via a texture design by hot -rolling

The limited ductility of carbon nanotubes reinforced Al matrix (CNT/Al) composites hinders their engineering applications, which is an urgent problem to be solved. Herein, texture optimization through hot-rolling was employed to improve the strength-ductility of the CNT/7055Al composites. Microstructural examinations indicate that the composite subjected to extrusion (CNT/7055Al-E) had a bimodal structure with the coarse and ultrafine grains. The composite subjected to extrusion followed by hot-rolling (CNT/7055Al-ER) exhibited a uniform ultrafine grain structure. No further structure damage or aggregation was detected for the CNTs after hot-rolling. The texture analysis demonstrates that the CNT/7055Al-E had a 111 111 332 342 components with higher texture intensity. Compared with the CNT/7055Al-E, the CNT/7055Al-ER increased twofold in elongation with a slight decrease in strength, which was attributed to the favorable grain orientations, the increased proportion of low angle grain boundaries, as well as the fine and densely distributed precipitates. Further, the mechanical property anisotropy of the composite was weakened after hot-rolling due to the elimination of coarse grain bands.