Effect of strain rate on the formation of the microstructure of a 1950/10% SiC metal matrix composite under high temperature

The paper studies the effect of strain rate on the formation of grains and low-angle boundaries in an aluminum matrix composite based on the 1950 alloy (analogous to the AA7075 alloy) with 10 vol% SiC. The deformation of the metal matrix composite, produced by a powder technique, is investigated at a temperature of 500 °C. The specimens are investigated by electron backscatter diffraction before and after deformation at strain rates ranging from 0.1 to 5.5 s−1. It has been established that continuous dynamic recrystallization occurs in the composite at 500 °C in the whole strain rate range considered. The recrystallization is followed by a decrease in the average grain diameter and an increase in the density of the low-angle boundaries with increasing strain rate.