Enhanced tensile ductility in a nanostructured Al–7·5%Mg alloy

This paper reports work on the enhanced tensile ductility in a nanostructured Al–7·5%Mg alloy with a mean grain size of 90 nm processed via consolidation of cryomilled Al–Mg powders. An annealing treatment at a temperature of 773 K for 2·5 h modified the extruded microstructure slightly without causing significant grain growth, as revealed by TEM and XRD patterns. The annealing treatment significantly improved the ductility, with a remarkably small loss in strength. The observed high thermal stability of the cryomilled Al alloy was attributed to the existence of impurity elements introduced during cryomilling and the presence of a supersaturated solid solution. The reported phenomenon of enhanced tensile ductility was attributed to a mechanism involving dislocation activity in submicron grains during plastic deformation.