A positron study on the microstructural evolution of Al-Li based alloys in the early stages of plastic deformation

Abstract

The formation of voids by coalescence of microvoids initiated at precipitates has been proposed to explain the fracture mechanisms in alloys containing a large number of second phase particles whereas in binary Al-Li alloys with shearable particles the brittleness could be linked with the grain boundary fracture. Most of the microstructure studies of Al-Li alloys have been performed by deforming to fracture; however, little is known about the processes and mechanisms involved in the early stages of plastic deformation. Butler et al. have studied a quaternary Al-Li alloy and have found that there is a critical effective strain to cause voiding, which is about 0.06 and 0.1% for the aged and for the solution treated material respectively. It is very well established that positrons are very sensitive to vacancy-like defects. With the aim of clarifying the behavior of Al-Li based alloys in the very early stages of deformation, and detecting the eventual formation of microvoids, the authors have studied the response of the positron lifetime parameters to the degrees of deformation in age-hardenable Al-Li based alloys plastically deformed under tensile stress.