Cyclic deformation response of UFG 2024 Al alloy

Abstract Cryo-rolled 2024 aluminium alloy was investigated using low cycle fatigue and electron microscopy. The cryo-rolled 2024 Al alloy was cyclically deformed under a fully reversed total strain control (R = −1) in the plastic strain amplitude range of 8 × 10−4 to 1 × 10−2. This study revealed the beneficial effect of the presence of precipitates in the microstructure on the cyclic stability. In addition, there was no evidence of microstructural instabilities, such as grain coarsening or bulk shear banding. Moreover, artificial aging of cryo-rolled 2024 Al alloy was found ineffective in terms of improving fatigue life.