Variations in defect substructure and fracture surface of commercially pure aluminum under creep in weak magnetic field

Commercially pure polycrystalline aluminum of grade A85, as a test material, is investigated. Using scanning and transmission electron microscopy the aluminum fine structure and fracture surface are analyzed. Fractures are studied in the regime of creep with and without a simultaneous effect of 0.3-T magnetic field. It is found that the application of a magnetic field in a linear stage of creep leads to substructure imperfection increasing. Furthermore, the magnetic field effect on aluminum in the process of creep causes the average scalar density of dislocations to increase and induces the process of dislocation loop formation to strengthen. Fractographic investigation of the fracture surface shows that in the fibrous fracture zone the average size of plastic fracture pits decreases more than twice under creep in the condition of external magnetic field compared with in the conventional experimental condition. In a shear zone, the magnetic field causes the average size of fracture pits to decrease. Experimental data obtained in the research allow us to conclude that the magnetic field effect on aluminum in the process of creep leads to the fracture toughness value of the material decreasing, which will affect the state of defect substructure of the volume and surface layer of the material. The influence of the magnetic field is analyzed on the basis of the magneto-plasticity effect.