Effect of Stacking Sequence on Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Features within Al/Cu Laminates

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metallurgy
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Advanced metallic conductors are crucial for various industrial applications.
• Understanding the impact of processing on material properties is essential for performance optimization.
• Aluminum-copper (Al/Cu) laminates offer potential for enhanced electrical and mechanical characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the preparation of Al/Cu laminated conductors using rotary swaging.
• To characterize the microstructural evolution, interface integrity, and residual stress.
• To evaluate the mechanical properties, specifically tensile strength and plasticity, of different laminate configurations.

Main Methods:

• Rotary swaging at room temperature to create Al/Cu laminated conductors.
• Microstructural analysis using electron microscopy and texture analysis.
• Assessment of internal misorientations to identify residual stress.
• Tensile testing and microhardness measurements to determine mechanical performance.

Main Results:

• Rotary swaging produced fine, equiaxed grains in both Al and Cu components with minimal texture.
• Residual stress was primarily observed in the copper components, indicating dynamic recrystallization in aluminum.
• Both laminate designs achieved high ultimate tensile strength (UTS) near 280 MPa.
• Significant differences in plasticity were noted, with one configuration showing ~3.5% and another <1%, attributed to work hardening in aluminum.

Conclusions:

• Rotary swaging is an effective method for producing Al/Cu laminated conductors with satisfactory interfacial bonding.
• Microstructural analysis reveals dynamic restoration processes and localized residual stress.
• Laminate design significantly influences plasticity, with implications for conductor applications requiring ductility.