Abstract
In this paper, we report on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a 5052 Al alloy processed by rotationally accelerated shot peening (RASP). A thick deformation layer of ∼2 mm was formed after the RASP process. Nano-sized grains, equiaxed subgrains, and elongated subgrains were observed along the depth of the deformation layer. Dislocation accumulation and dynamic recrystallization were found primarily responsible for the grain refinement process. An obvious microhardness gradient was observed for all of the samples with different RASP processing parameters, and the microhardness in the top surface of 50 m/s-5 min RASP-processed sample is twice that of its coarse-grained (CG) counterpart. The yield strengths of the RASP-processed 5052 Al alloy samples were 1.4–2.6 times that of CG counterparts, while retaining a decent ductility (25–84% that of CG). The superior properties imparted by the gradient structure are expected to expand the application of the 5052 Al alloy as a structural material.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Financial supports from the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0204403), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51301092, 51501092, and 51601094), Nanjing University of Science and Technology (Grant No. AE89991), Pangu Foundation, and the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro&Nano Materials and Technology are acknowledged.
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This author was an editor of this journal during the review and decision stage. For the JMR policy on review and publication of manuscripts authored by editors, please refer to http://www.mrs.org/editor-manuscripts/.
A previous error in this article has been corrected. For details, see 10.1557/jmr.2017.459
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Li, Y., Li, L., Nie, J. et al. Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a 5052 Al alloy with gradient structures. Journal of Materials Research 32, 4443–4451 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.310
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.310