Comparison of tensile properties between nanotwinned and nanograined CuAl alloys

Both nanotwinned and nanograined samples were prepared in a CuAl alloy by means of plastic deformation. Tensile tests showed that the nanotwinned sample exhibits a high yield strength of similar to 357 MPa and a considerable uniform elongation of 18% while the nanograined sample has ultra-high strength of similar to 758 MPa with a very limited uniform elongation of 1.4%. The lower yield strength and higher ductility in the nanotwinned sample were discussed based on its deformation mechanism. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.