Measuring and modelling the microstructures of two-phase aluminium alloys after deformation

The effect of second-phase particles on the deformation and annealing behaviour of metals is re-assessed in the light of some new techniques. Using an EBSD method which provides much improved angular resolution, the effect of small non-deformable particles on the homogeneity of the deformation microstructure has been quantified. The presence of micron sized second-phase particles alters the deformation microstructure adjacent to particles, and a 3-d investigation of the deformation structures associated with large (<1μm) second-phase particles in cold rolled aluminium alloys has been carried out using 3-d FIB sectioning combined with EBSD, and the microstructures compared with the predictions of 3-d CPFEM modelling. The effects of grain orientation, strain and particle size have been investigated, and the results compared with earlier TEM investigations of such microstructures.