Increasing the ductility of ultrafine-grained copper alloy by introducing fine precipitates

We fabricated ultrafine-grained (UFG) Cu–Cr–Zr alloy including fine second-phase particles via an accumulative roll-bonding process and subsequent aging treatment. The nanosized precipitates dispersed within the UFG matrix significantly enhanced strain hardening, resulting in the simultaneous improvement of uniform elongation and tensile strength.