While it is very common to associate properties with a metal, it is possible to produce a wide range of properties from the same material, by varying the composition slightly, or by varying its processing. The different ways of processing a metal include how it has been cooled and worked, and any heat treatments it has been subjected to.
These processes and compositional changes affect the microstructure of the material, in particular the grain shape and size and the dislocation density, as well as phase structure and precipitates.
In this package changes in microstructure will be studied for two different materials. The first is aluminium, which will demonstrate how the phase structure and the precipitates caused by the addition of small amounts of copper can effect mechanical properties, in particular in the tensile test.
The second material is copper, which will demonstrate how the grains and the dislocation density are affected by work hardening and by heat treatments. This will be shown with both the tensile test and with three-point bending.
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