Effects of Microstructural Anisotropy on the Mechanical Response of Aluminium Alloy AA 7010 – T7651

Abstract

The effect of microstructural anisotropy on the mechanical response of a heavily rolled 7010 – T7651 has been investigated. A comprehensive set of quasi-static and dynamic experiments were conducted on specimens loaded along the Rolling (RD) and Through Thickness (TT) directions. Results suggest that specimens tested along their TT exhibit higher Elastic limit and Moduli; whereas specimens tested along their RD will exhibit higher ductility and fracture stress. These observations held true for both the quasi-static and shock-loaded specimens. Optical and EBSD characterisation was performed on a number of the deformed specimens to investigate this behavior. For the case of shock-loaded specimens, it was found that void nucleation was dependent on grain orientation with respect to the applied load, whereas angle misorientation and Taylor factor did not contribute significantly.