Complementary research on the Al–Cu nanostructured composite processed by ARB: finite element, crystal plasticity, intermetallic, and failure analysis

Abstract

A unique Al–Cu composite was manufactured using the accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process. For characterization purposes, a variety of methods was conducted on the resulting composite. Also, the shear band formation which is a prevalent phenomenon in the ARBed materials was analyzed using the finite element method (FEM). For experimental analysis, the crystallographic texture was evaluated for the material by the X-ray diffraction method (XRD). A well-developed rolling (β-fiber) texture was dominated on the Al side, however, recrystallization led to the occurrence of other component mainly around <001> orientation on the Cu side. Upon annealing, the formation of different intermetallic compounds (IMCs) was observed and evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An unexpected AlCu4 was detected between the layers as the prominent IMC after the annealing process. Furthermore, the shear punch test was employed for the material's mechanical characterization. It was observed that the strength of the composite material was higher than that of primary metals i.e., Al and Cu. Finally, failure analysis revealed a ductile fracture with separated layers at earlier cycles and a brittle fracture at higher ARB cycles.