Enhanced tensile plasticity in ultrafine-grained metallic composite fabricated by friction stir process

In an attempt to enhance the ductility of ultrafine-grained commercial Al metal, a new way is developed to insert nanoscale alumina dispersoids homogeneously into pure aluminum by a one-pass friction stir process. The resulting ultrafine-grained composite exhibits significant work hardening and thus enhanced mechanical performance during uniaxial tensile testing at room temperature.