Creating High Strength High Ductility Copper by Use of Position and Energy Controlled Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (PECSMAT)

Creating High Strength High Ductility Copper by Use of Position and Energy Controlled Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (PECSMAT)

Poster - Applied

Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT) has shown positive benefits in the strengthening of nano crystalline materials. SMAT, like shot peening, uses hard materials like steel balls to impact the surface of an object. These impacts increase the yield strength of the material by refining the grain structure. However, this increase in yield strength is at the cost of a lower ductility. Historical SMAT and shot peening techniques lack precision and repeatability. With the use of a custom machine called the Position and Energy Controlled SMAT (PECSMAT) impact location and energy can be accurately controlled. This allows for unique SMAT applications that have not be previously explored. The use of PECSMAT on Oxygen-Free High Conductivity (OFHC) Copper increases yield strength while maintaining ductility. In this study, OFHC copper was annealed to create a homogeneous grain structure. The copper was then impacted with various impact conditions on the PECSMAT. Each of these conditions were then tested via tensile tests. It was observed that specimens with impacts showed a greater yield strength than the control annealed samples. Greater impact density increased the yield strength at the cost of a lower ductility. The use of this information can help in the creation of strong and ductile material. The use of annealing and impacting via PECSMAT can be used to tailor a material’s properties for a specific use case.