Grain refinement and mechanical behavior of the Al Alloy, subjected to the new SPD technique

Abstract

The paper focuses on producing of ultrafine-grained (UFG) structure in the Al 6061 alloy by a new severe plastic deformation (SPD) technique, developed recently in our laboratory, namely equal channel angular pressing with parallel channels (ECAP-PC). The evolution of microstructure at ECAP-PC was examined and was proved that the alloy becomes of a homogenous UFG structure after 4 passes. Such a structure increases essentially the alloy's mechanical properties, specifically strength and ductility. The advantages of this new technique in producing ot UFG alloys over conventional ECAP are considered and discussed as well © 2009 The Japan Institute of Metals.