Effects of TC4 foil on the microstructures and mechanical properties of accumulatively roll-bonded aluminium-based metal matrix composites

In the present study, Ti–6Al–4V alloy (TC4) foils were initially used as raw materials to produce aluminum-based metal matrix composites via the warm accumulative roll-bonding process. A composite with homogeneously distributed TC4 fragments in Al matrix was produced after 12 ARB cycles were performed. Microstructure analyses revealed that the thickness and length of the TC4 phase and the Al grain size in the Al/TC4 composites were refined by increasing the number of ARB cycles. Compared with the pure metal fragments in Al/pure metal systems, the TC4 fragments in Al/TC4 were thick and long because of the low plasticity–high strength of TC4 phase. The tensile properties of the Al/TC4 composites were also investigated. Results showed that the tensile strength and elongation increased with the number of ARB cycles and reached the maximum values of 147 MPa and 4.2% after 12 cycles were performed, respectively. Compared with the ARB monolithic, 1060-Al, Al/TC4 composites exhibited higher strength but lower elongation after 12 ARB cycles were conducted.