The Effect of Orientation on the Spall Strength of the Aluminium Alloy 7010-T6

Abstract

Many polycrystalline alloys experience a pronounced anisotropy in their mechanical properties. This can operate on three levels, these being at the unit cell, the microstructural level (due to preferred orientation of the grain structure) or the meso-scale due to either phase distribution or grain morphology. It is this latter feature in the aluminium alloy AA 7010 that has been chosen for investigation. At quasi-static strain-rates, it has been observed that a change in fracture occurs according to orientation, that being at 45° to the tensile axis along the rolling and long transverse directions, and 90° to it in the short transverse direction. The same effects have been investigated dynamically via plate impact, where the spall strength has been studied as a function of orientation and heat treatment.