Texture–strength relationships in a deformation processed Al–Sn metal–metal composite

A powder mixture of 80 vol.% face centered cubic (fcc) Al and 20 vol.% body centered tetragonal (bct) Sn was heavily deformed by extrusion and swaging to form a composite consisting of Sn filaments in an Al matrix. The fiber texture was determined by orientation imaging microscopy to be 〈1 0 0〉 for the Al and 〈1 0 0〉 for the Sn. The Sn phase deformed into a convoluted ribbon shape; a microstructure which has usually been attributed to texture of the filaments constraining their deformation to plane strain. Texture in a Sn filament deforming at room temperature is unlikely to limit Sn to a plane straining mode, which suggests that a different mechanism may be producing the ribbon-shape of these filaments. The 290 MPa ultimate tensile strength of the composite was greater than the rule-of-mixtures prediction. Comparisons are made with Al–Nb, Al–Ti and Al–Mg deformation processed metal–metal composites and to various strengthening models for metal–metal composites.