The Effect of Electroplasticity on CNTs/Al Under Different Heat Treatment Tempers

The CNTs/Al is a promising lightweight high-strength composite in the aerospace industry. However, poor plasticity under room temperature limits its application. Eelectrically-assisted (EA) forming is expected to improve its plasticity by the Joule heating effect and athermal effect. In this study, the effect of electroplasticity on CNTs/Al with extrusion and T6 tempers is studied. It is found that for the specimen in extrusion temper, the flow stress under EA tensile condition is lower than that under warm tensile condition due to the promoted dislocation annihilation and dynamic recovery. For the specimen in T6 temper, the flow stress under EA tensile condition is larger than that under warm tensile condition, which is opposite to that in extrusion temper and is attributed to the formation of brittle phase Al4C3 and the evolution of grain and precipitate.