Influence of strain rate on the structure/property behavior of a Cu-Nb composite

While the influence of strain rate on the structure/property response of pure copper and a variety of copper alloys has been extensively studied, the effect of strain rates on the stress-strain and deformation response of copper composites remains largely unknown. In this paper, the effect of strain rate on the mechanical behavior and substructure evolution of a Cu-15 vol. % Nb composite will be presented. The influence of strain rate on the compressive stress-strain response of Cu-15 vol. % Nb at room temperature has been studied at strain rates from 103 s-1 (quasi-static) to 7000 s-1 (Split Hopkinson Bar). The substructure evolution has been characterized utilizing optical and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In this paper the strain hardening and the defect generation mechanisms of Cu-15 vol. % Nb are discussed as a function of strain rate and contrasted to that observed in OFE copper