Internal stress superplasticity in directionally solidified Al–Al 3Ni eutectic composite

Abstract

Thermal cycling creep behavior in fiber-reinforced composites was investigated using a directionally solidified Al–Al 3Ni eutectic composite. A superplastic elongation of 120% was obtained during a thermal cycling tensile creep test. Compression creep tests were performed under an external stress applied either parallel or perpendicular to the growth direction. The average strain rates for the two directions exhibited the characteristics of internal stress superplasticity: those at low stresses were much higher than the corresponding isothermal creep rates and were proportional to the applied stress. In the case of transverse loading, the thermal cycling creep rate was explained quantitatively using the previously reported internal stress superplasticity model for particle-dispersed composite. In the case of longitudinal loading, it was much lower than that predicted using the model because of the difference in the stress state and the relaxation process. However, thermal cycling creep had very low activation energy, which is a unique characteristic of internal stress superplasticity.