Effect of Directional Grain Structure on Microstructure, Mechanical and Ballistic Properties of an AA-7017 Aluminium Alloy Plate

The present work illustrates the correlation of microstructure along three directions namely, longitudinal (L), long-transverse (LT) and short-transverse (ST) on mechanical and ballistic properties of an AA-7017 aluminium alloy plate. The microstructure in L and LT direction exhibits high aspect ratio deformed grains, whereas low aspect ratio grains are observed in ST direction. The plate displays the highest strength value along LT, followed by ST and L directions. The L and ST direction samples show the highest and lowest impact energy values, respectively. Ballistic properties of the plate in three directions is evaluated by impacting with high hardness steel projectiles. It is noticed that the AA-7017 plate exhibits the best ballistic performance in ST direction.