Mechanical properties of submicron-grained aluminum

Submicron-grained (SMG) aluminum produced by equal channel angular extrusion exhibits high yield strength (262 MPa) and good ductility (28% total elongation) at 77 K, despite the poor tensile ductility at room temperature. For this SMG aluminum, flow localization was observed in both tensile and compressive tests. The yield strength is about 20% higher in compression than in tension over the grain size range of 0.35-0.75 μm, and this tension-compression asymmetry disappears for larger grain sizes.