Study of the Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Aluminum Obtained by SMAT

Enhanced mechanical properties were found on an Aluminum alloy treated by Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT) in this work. The average hardness of the annealed Aluminum alloy at the surface was enhanced up to 43% and reached 170 HV, and that of the bulk part could also be improved up to 20% which is 140 HV. The yield strength obtained under tensile test had significant improvement which may achieve up to 400 MPa. In this study, it is discovered that the surface nanostructured layer obtained by SMAT can be as thick as 100 μm and its effect can be observable along a specimen of 2 mm thickness. In the paper, more detailed experimental results will be presented as well as the experimental setup. The present study demonstrates the potential of the process for obtaining good strength on Aluminum alloy for aerospace applications.Copyright © 2007 by ASME