Mechanical Behavior of a Metal Matrix Nanocomposite Synthesized by High-Pressure Torsion Via Diffusion Bonding

High-pressure torsion (HPT) is one of the major severe plastic deformation (SPD) procedures where disk metals generally achieve exceptional grain refinement at ambient temperatures. HPT has been applied for the consolidation of metallic powders and bonding of machining chips whereas very limited reports examined the application of HPT for the fabrication of nanocomposites. An investigation was initiated to evaluate the potential for the formation of a metal matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) by processing two commercial metal disks of Al-1050 and ZK60 magnesium alloy through HPT at room temperature. Evolutions in microstructure and mechanical properties including hardness and plasticity were examined in the processed disks with increasing numbers of HPT turns up to 5. This study demonstrates the promising possibility for using HPT to fabricate a wide range of hybrid MMNCs from simple metals. © 2017 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.This work was supported by the NRF Korea funded by MoE under Grant No. NRF-2014R1A1A2057697 (MK); the NRF Korea funded by MSIP under Grant No. NRF-2015R1A2A2A01002387 (BA); and the European Research Council under ERC Grant Agreement No. 267464-SPDMETALS (TGL)