An experimental assessment of grain size effects in the uniaxial straining of thin Al sheet with a few grains across the thickness

The mechanical behaviour under uniaxial tension of polycrystalline 99.999 at.% Al sheet with a thickness of a single or a few crystallites isinvestigated experimentally. The specimens are cold rolled to a thickness (t) of 100 up to 340 micrometer and the grain size (d) is varied by recrystallisationbetween 75 and 480 micrometer. All specimens have a similar texture and a regular grain structure. For t/d <1 the flow stress varies only slightly with t/d,independently of t or d itself. For 1 <t/d