Mechanical behavior of Al-Li/SiC composites: Part II. Cyclic deformation

The deformation and failure mechanisms under cyclic deformation in an 8090 Al-Li alloy reinforced with 15 vol pct SiC particles were studied and compared to those of the unreinforced alloy. The materials were tested under fully reversed cyclic deformation in the peak-aged and naturally aged conditions to obtain the cyclic response and the cyclic stress-strain curve. The peak-aged materials remained stable or showed slight cyclic softening, and the deformation mechanisms were not modified by the presence of the ceramic reinforcements: dislocations were trapped by the S' precipitates and the stable response was produced by the mobile dislocations shuttling between the precipitates to accommodate the plastic strain without further hardening. The naturally aged materials exhibited cyclic hardening until failure, which was attributed to the interactions among dislocations. Strain localization and slip-band formation were observed in the naturally aged alloy at high cyclic strain amplitudes, whereas the corresponding composite presented homogeneous deformation. Fracture was initiated by grain-boundary delamination in the unreinforced materials, while progressive reinforcement fracture under cyclic deformation was the main damage mechanism in the composites. The influence of these deformation and damage processes in low-cycle fatigue life is discussed.