Unveiling the interface fracture mechanism dominated by intermetallic compounds during tensile deformation of copper/aluminum composite thin strips
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In the present work, the complex failure mechanism dominated by intermetallic compounds (IMCs) of copper/aluminum (Cu/Al) composite thin strips (CTSs) during tensile deformation was studied. A series of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) tests were employed to analyze the interfacial morphology, crack formation, and microstructural evolution of Cu/Al CTSs during the tensile process. After annealing at 450 °C for 1 h, the IMCs layer reached a total thickness of 18 μm, comprising three sublayers: θ (CuAl 2 ), η 2 (CuAl), and γ 1 (Cu 9 Al 4 ). The results of uniaxial and in-situ SEM tensile tests revealed that the initial cracks during the low strain stage occur at the Al/CuAl 2 interface (IMCs cracks and Al cracks), with IMCs cracks originating in the CuAl 2 layer and extending into CuAl and Cu 9 Al 4 layers. The fluctuating increase in tensile stress can be attributed to the emergence of IMCs cracks, which leads to instantaneous stress reductions, followed by local dislocation strengthening due to the widening of IMCs cracks. In addition, local stress concentrations induced by widening IMCs cracks lead to grain orientation rotation, activating additional slip systems and transitioning from hard to soft orientations.
Source: Materials & Design
Authors: Chen Wang, Lingjian Meng, Xiaoguang Ma, Zhengyi Jiang, Jingwei Zhao
Institutions: Taiyuan University of Technology, University of Wollongong
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,650
Award: G7855193865
OpenAlex ID: W4411396232