文摘
Cu–Al/Al nanostructured metallic multilayers with Al layer thickness h Al varying from 5 to 100 nm were prepared, and their mechanical properties and deformation behaviors were studied by nanoindentation testing. The results showed that the hardness increased drastically with decreasing h Al down to about 20 nm, whereafter the hardness reached a plateau that approaches the hardness of the alloyed Cu–Al monolithic thin films. The strain rate sensitivity (SRS, m), however, decreased monotonically with reducing h Al. The layer thickness-dependent strengthening mechanisms were discussed, and it was revealed that the alloyed Cu–Al nanolayers dominated at h Al ≤ 20 nm, while the crystalline Al nanolayers dominated at h Al > 20 nm. The plastic deformation was mainly related to the ductile Al nanolayers, which was responsible for the monotonic evolution of SRS with h Al. In addition, the h Al-dependent hardness and SRS were quantitatively modeled in light of the strengthening mechanisms at different length scales.