Macroscopic and microscopic aspects of the deformation and fracture mechanisms of ultrafine-grained aluminum processed by hot isostatic pressing

A commercial purity aluminum nano-powder has been consolidated by the hot isostatic pressing technique. The bulk material, in addition to the unavoidable native Al2O3 phase, has a microstructure comprising a fraction of microcrystalline grains (⩾500 nm) that are embedded in an ultrafine-grained matrix (150 nm). True stress–true strain curves acquired from compressive tests at room temperature showed a rapid and brief hardening at the early stage of the deformation followed by a short stress plateau and linear work softening. The material yielded at 390 MPa – 10 times the flow stress of the coarse-grained counterpart material. The per cent reduction to rupture was about 20% mostly due to the presence of microcrystalline grains acting against crack propagation. In addition, it is shown that microcrystalline grains deform via dislocation-based mechanisms, while present evidence suggests that the matrix deforms by a cooperative grain boundary sliding.