Evaluation of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Multilayer Al5052–Cu Composite Produced by Accmulative Roll Bonding

A multilayer Al5052–Cu composite is prepared by accumulative roll bonding (ARB) and the microstructure and mechanical properties are evaluated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), tensile tests, and micro-hardness measurements. The results show that the thickness (1000 μm) of copper layers of the initial sample is reduced to ~7 μm after the fifth ARB cycle, while the thickness of Al layer increases. With increasing number of ARB cycles, the microhardness of both aluminum and copper layers is significantly increased. The tensile strength of the sandwich is enhanced continiousely, and the maximum value of 566.5 MPa is achieved. The high strength of 566.5 MPa and ductility of 9.61% is achieved, which is ~47 and ~21% higher, than the maximum values found out in the publications. The investigation of the tensile fracture of surfaces during ARB indicates that the increase in ARB cycles changes the fracture mechanism to shear ductile.