Simultaneous Enhancement of Strength and Ductility in Severely Drawn Textured Ni-Co Microwires

Abstract

This study examines the deformation behaviour of Ni-Co microwires exhibiting high strengths and ductility, where the addition of Co is intended to decrease the stacking fault energy. A reduction in stacking fault energy is likely to retard the recovery processes, refine grain size and enhance strain hardening by dislocation interactions at twin boundaries. Microwires were drawn to a strain of 5.88, from annealed Ni-Co alloys with Co content varying from 30 to 60 wt%. Subsequent tensile testing revealed a simultaneous increase in strength and ductility with an increase in Co content. The enhanced strength is a consequence of the finer grain size with an increase in Co, and the larger ductility is related to a combination of greater strain hardening and a higher strain rate sensitivity with an increase in Co. The textured drawn Ni-Co wires exhibited higher strengths than those obtained by severe plastic deformation with comparable grain sizes.