High Strength and Electrical Conductivity of Al‐Fe Alloys Produced by Synergistic Combination of High‐Pressure Torsion and Aging

Abstract

A synergistic combination of high‐pressure torsion (HPT) and artificial aging was attempted in Al‐Fe alloys to achieve high strength and high electrical conductivity. HPT produced an ultrafine‐grained structure and supersaturation of Fe in the matrix, resulting in high strength above 500 MPa. Aging after the HPT processing increased the electrical conductivity well over 50 IACS% while simultaneously increasing the yield strength above 600 MPa via precipitation of dissolved Fe. The results demonstrate that Al containing a low fraction of Fe (2 wt%) should be a good candidate for a high strength, light weight, and high‐electrical‐conductive material.