Unusual hardening behaviour in heavily cryo-rolled Cu-Al-Zn alloys during annealing treatment

Three nanostructured Cu-Al-Zn alloys were produced via rolling at the liquid nitrogen temperature. The deformed Cu alloys were then annealed at 150-300 °C for 1 h. The two alloys with high solute content and thus with low stacking fault energy exhibit unusual annealing hardening, namely, an increase in hardness and strength and a decrease in tensile elongation after annealing at 150 and 200 °C. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and microstructural observations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it is found that microstrain and dislocation density decrease after annealing at 200 °C because of the recovery of dislocations and the lattice parameter decreases due to solute segregation. Meanwhile, the twin density of the two Cu alloys increases and grain size remains basically unchanged. It is shown that the formation of annealing twins and stacking faults and the segregation of solute atoms may be the main causes of unusual annealing hardening.