Simple shear extrusion versus equal channel angular pressing:A comparative study on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an Mg alloy

Two severe plastic deformation(SPD)techniques of simple shear extrusion(SSE)and equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)were employed to process an extruded Mg-6Gd-3Y-1.5Ag(wt%)alloy at 553 K for 1,2,4 and 6 passes.The microstructural evolutions were studied by electron back scattered diffraction(EBSD)analysis and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The initial grain size of 7.5μm in the extruded alloy was reduced to about 1.3μm after 6 SPD passes.Discontinuous dynamic recrystallization was suggested to be operative in both SSE and ECAP,with also a potential contribution of continuous dynamic recrystallization at the early stages of deformation.The difference in the shear strain paths of the two SPD techniques caused different progression rate of dynamic recrystallization(DRX),so that the alloys processed by ECAP exhibited higher fractions of recrystallization and high angle grain boundaries(HAGBs).It was revealed that crystallographic texture was also significantly influenced by the difference in the strain paths of the two SPD methods,where dissimilar basal plane texture components were obtained.The compression tests,performed along extrusion direction(ED),indicated that the compressive yield stress(CYS)and ultimate compressive strength(UCS)of the alloys after both SEE and ECAP augmented continuously by increasing the number of passes.ECAP-processed alloys had lower values of CYS and UCS compared to their counterparts processed by SSE.This difference in the mechanical responses was attributed to the different configurations of basal planes with respect to the loading direction(ED)of each SPD technique.

Equal channel angular extrusion of NiTi shape memory alloy tube

As a new attempt, equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy （NiTi SMA） tube was investigated by means of process experiment, finite element method （FEM） and microscopy. NiTi SMA tube with the steel core in it was inserted into the steel can during ECAE of NiTi SMA tube. Based on rigid-viscoplastic FEM, multiple coupled boundary conditions and multiple constitutive models were used for finite element simulation of ECAE of NiTi SMA tube, where the effective stress field, the effective strain field and the velocity field were obtained. Finite element simulation results are in good accordance with the experimental ones. Finite element simulation results reveal that the velocity field shows the minimum value in the corner of NiTi SMA tube, where severe shear deformation occurs. Microstructural observation results reveal that severe plastic deformation leads to a certain grain orientation as well as occurrence of substructures in the grain interior and dynamic recovery occurs during ECAE of NiTi SMA tube. ECAE of NiTi SMA tube provides a new approach to manufacturing ultrafine-grained NiTi SMA tube.

Effect of processing route on grain refinement in pure copper processed by equal channel angular extrusion

An experimental study of the microstructures in pure copper billets processed by 8 passes of equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） via an extended range of processing routes with a 90° die is carried out. Each processing route is defined according to the inter-pass billet rotation angle （χ）, which varies from 0° to 180°. According to the generation of high-angle boundaries and reduction of grain size by electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD） measurements, the grain refinement is found to be most efficient for route with χ=90°and least efficient with χ=180°, among the seven routes studied. This trend is supported by supplementary transmission electron microscopy （TEM） measurements. Comparison of the EBSD and TEM data reveals the importance of considering the non-equiaxity of grain structures in quantitative assessment of microstructural differences in ECAE-processed materials.

Application of crystal plasticity modeling in equal channel angular extrusion

Some applications of crystal plasticity modeling in equal channel angular extrusion（ECAE） of face-centered cubic metals were highlighted.The results show that such simulations can elucidate the dependency of grain refinement efficiency on processing route and the directionality of substructure development,which cannot be explained by theories that consider only the macroscopic deformation behavior.They can also capture satisfactorily the orientation stability and texture evolution under various processing conditions.It is demonstrated that crystal plasticity models are useful tools in exploring the crystallographic nature of grain deformation and associated behavior that are overlooked or sometimes erroneously interpreted by existing phenomenological theories.

Microstructure evolution of processed Mg-Al-Zn alloy by equal channel angular extrusion in semi-solid isothermal treatment

Microstructure evolution of processed Mg-Al-Zn alloy by equal channel angularextrusion(ECAE) in semi-solid isothermal treatment was investigated. The results show that withincreasing semi-solid isothermal treatment temperature, the a phase solid grain size of processedMg-Al-Zn alloy by ECAE increases firstly due to coarsening of a phase solid grains, then decreasesdue to melting of a phase solid grains. With the increase of extrusion passes during ECAE, the aphase solid grain size in the following semi-solid isothermal treatment decreases. The a phase solidgrain size of processed Mg-Al-Zn alloy by ECAE under route B_C is the smallest, while the a phasesolid grain size of processed material by ECAE under route A is the largest. The primary mechanismof spheroid formation depends on the melting of recrystallizing boundaries and diffusion of soluteatoms in the semi-solid state.

Die structure optimization of equal channel angular extrusion for AZ31 magnesium alloy based on finite element method

Three-dimensional（3D） geometric models with different comer angles （90° and 120°） and with or without inner round fillets in the bottom die were designed. Some important process parameters were regarded as the calculation conditions used in DEFORMTM-3D software, such as stress--strain data of compression test for AZ31 magnesium, temperatures of die and billet, and friction coefficient. Influence of friction coefficient on deformation process was discussed. The results show that reasonable lubrication condition is important to plastic deformation. The change characteristics for distributions of effective stress and strain during an equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） process with inner angle of 90° and without fillets at outer comer were described. Inhomogeneity index （C） was defined and deformation heterogeneity of ECAE was analyzed from the simulation and experiment results. The deformation homogeneity caused by fillets at outer comer increased compared with the die without fillets. The cumulated maximum strains decrease with increasing the fillets of outer comer in ECAE die and the inner comer angle. The analysis results show that better structures of ECAE die including appropriate outer comer fillet and the inner comer angle of 90° for the die can improve the strain and ensure plastic deformation homogenization to a certain extent. The required extrusion force drops with increasing the fillet made at outer comer in ECAE die. It is demonstrated that the prediction results are in good agreement with experiments and the theoretical calculation and the research conclusions in literatures.

Mechanical properties and damping capacities of magnesium alloys processed by equal channel angular extrusion(ECAE)

Equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was applied to commercial pure magnesium and AZ91D alloy. Microstructures of these magnesium alloys before and after ECAE process were observed by optical microscopy (OM). The ultimate tensile strength of pure magnesium and AZ91D alloy processed by ECAE is about 130 and 260MPa, respectively, and it is much higher than that of the as cast alloys. The elongation of them is increased from about 2% to 8%. The strain amplitude dependence damping capacities of these magnesium alloys were investigated by dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). ECAE process largely decreases the damping capacities of pure magnesium from 0.033 to about 0.012 (ε=1×10 -4), but does not show obvious influence on that of AZ91D alloy, which is about 0.0015.

Bonding interface zone of Mg-Gd-Y/Mg-Zn-Gd laminated composite fabricated by equal channel angular extrusion

In order to improve the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Mg alloys,the equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE)was employed to fabricate the Mg-5Gd-5Y/Mg-2Zn-1Gd(GW55/ZG21)laminated composites.After fabrication and annealing treatment,the microstructural evolution,phase constitution,microhardness,and bonding strength were investigated on the bonding interface zone of GW55/ZG21 laminated composites.The bonding interface zone of GW55/ZG21 laminated composites comprises a lot of Mg3(Y,Gd)2Zn3 particles along the bonding interface,some rod Mg24(Y,Gd)5 phases on GW55 side,and a precipitation free zone(PFZ)on ZG21 side.After annealing treatment,Mg3(Y,Gd)2Zn3 particles along the bonding interface increase, rod Mg24(Y,Gd)5 phases on GW55 side decrease,and PFZ is broadened.Meanwhile,the hardness on the bonding interface zone decreases and the bonding strength increases from 126 MPa to 162 MPa.

Severe plastic deformation of commercially pure aluminum using novel equal channel angular expansion extrusion with spherical cavity

Equal channel angular expansion extrusion with spherical cavity(ECAEE-SC)was introduced as a novel severe plastic deformation(SPD)technique,which is capable of imposing large plastic strain and intrinsic back-pressure on the processed billet.The plastic deformation behaviors of commercially pure aluminum during ECAEE-SC process were investigated using finite element analysis DEFORM-3D simulation software.The material flow,the load history,the distribution of effective strain and mean stress in the billet were analyzed in comparison with conventional equal channel angular extrusion(ECAE)process.In addition,single-pass ECAEE-SC was experimentally conducted on commercially pure aluminum at room temperature for validation,and the evolution of microstructure and microhardness of as-processed material was discussed.It was shown that during the process,the material is in the ideal hydrostatic stress state and the load requirement for ECAEE-SC is much more than that for ECAE.After a single-pass ECAEE-SC,an average strain of 3.51 was accumulated in the billet with homogeneous distribution.Moreover,the microstructure was significantly refined and composed of equiaxed ultrafine grains with sub-micron size.Considerable improvement in the average microhardness of aluminum was also found,which was homogenized and increased from HV 36.61 to HV 70.20,denoting 91.75%improvement compared with that of the as-cast billet.

Improvements in the microstructure and fatigue behavior of pure copper using equal channel angular extrusion

In this study, annealed pure copper was extruded using equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） for a maximum of eight passes. The fatigue resistance of extruded specimens was evaluated for different passes and applied stresses using fatigue tests, fractography, and metallography. The mechanical properties of the extruded material were obtained at a tensile test velocity of 0.5 mm/min. It was found that the maximum increase in strength occurred after the 2nd pass. The total increase in ultimate strength after eight passes was 94%. The results of fatigue tests indicated that a significant improvement in fatigue life occurred after the 2nd pass. In subsequent passes, the fatigue life con-tinued to improve but at a considerably lower rate. The improved fatigue life was dependent on the number of passes and applied stresses. For low stresses （or high-cycle fatigue）, a maximum increase in fatigue resistance of approximately 500%was observed for the extruded material after eight passes, whereas a maximum fatigue resistance of 5000%was obtained for high-applied stresses （or low-cycle fatigue）. Optical microscopic examinations revealed grain refinements in the range of 32 to 4 μm. A maximum increase in impact energy absorption of 100%was achieved after eight passes. Consistent results were obtained from fractography and metallography examinations of the ex-truded material during fatigue tests.

Uniformity and continuity of effective strain in AZ91D processed by multi-pass equal channel angular extrusion

AZ91D magnesium alloy was processed by equal channel angular extrusion(ECAE).The influence of extrusion temperature,extrusion pass and extrusion route on the ultimate strength of the extruded billet was analyzed.The process of multi-pass extrusion was simulated with the method of finite element analysis,and the continuity and uniformity of effective strain in multi-pass extrusion were investigated.The results show that extrusion pass plays the most important role in improving the ultimate strength of AZ91D magnesium alloy,the extrusion route is the second,and the extrusion temperature is the last.From the numerical simulation,there exists the continuity of the accumulated deformation in multi-pass extrusion and the effective strain increases linearly.The tendency of the strain uniformity is different in multi-pass extrusion with extrusion routes.The results of experiment agree with those of numerical simulation.

Deformation temperature and postdeformation annealing effects on severely deformed TiNi alloy by equal channel angular extrusion

Micron TiNi alloy blocks were fabricated at high temperature by equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） using hotforged Ti-50.3at%Ni alloy as the raw material and the effects of deformation temperature and postdeformation annealing on the severely deformed TiNi alloy by ECAE were investigated. The results show that the TiNi alloy processed by ECAE undergoes severe plastic deformation, and lowering the deformation temperature and increasing the number of extrusions contribute to grain refinement. When the annealing temperature is below 873 K, static recovery is the main restoration process; when the temperature rises to 973 K, static recrystallization occurs. It is found that fine particles are precipitated when the TiNi alloy processed by ECAE is annealed at 773 K.

Effect of friction on equal channel angular extrusion process

The influence of the friction between deformed material and die wall during equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was studied. Because of the special design of the extrusion die, the direction of the frictional force has been altered and the distribution of the strain field has been uniformed. The results of the finite element analysis(FEA) indicate that the homogeneity of the finial deformation has been greatly enhanced with this method provided. The ratio of maximum strain to minimum strain along the width is reduced from 6.39 to 1.03. Along the billet length, the strain homogeneity region increases more obviously and the strain is uniformed more greatly than that of common extrusion. The lubrication before extrusion reduces greatly or even it is ignored, which has a great significance for the industrial application of ECAE.

Effect of Equal Channel Angular Extrusion on the Microstructures and Properties of Two Extruded Al-Mg-Si Alloys

The effect of equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） on the microstructure of two Al-Mg-Si extrusion alloys was investigated by high resolution electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD） using a field emission gun scanning electron microscope （FEG-SEM） and a transmission electron microscope （TEM）. Two contrasting alloys： a dilute alloy, based on alloy 6061 and a concentrated alloy, based on alloy 6069 were employed for this research. It has been found that prior ECAE to extrusion promotes high angle grain boundaries （HAGBs） in the extrusions, and the increase in HAGBs ratio is due to the large shear deformation involved in the process of ECAE. Tensile testing results show that a further ageing treatment strengthens the alloys after extrusion and the ECAE processed extrusions are more ductile than conventional extrusions.

Super-Elasticity Characteristics of TiNi Alloy Processed by Equal Channel Angular Extrusion

A Ni-rich TiNi alloy was processed by Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE) at 500℃. After four passes ECAE treatment, microstructure of the alloy was refined but slightly inhomogeneous, to sub-micron scale, approximately 0.5～0.6 μm. Comparing with the solution-treated TiNi specimen, the martensitic transformations start (Ms) and peak temperatures (Mp) of TiNi specimens processed by ECAE were dramatically lowered. After ECAE treatment, the R-phase transformation was stimulated and separated from martensitic transformation, but occurred within a larger temperature range. Super-elasticity characteristics of TiNi alloy were tested by tensile loading and unloading cycles. The results revealed that at a tensile strain of 6% or smaller, TiNi alloy processed by four passes ECAE showed better super-elasticity, with less residual strain retained, than solution-treated sample. After tensile strain exceeded 6%, up to 8%, the maximum recoverable strain of TiNi alloy ECAE treated was decreased. Microstructure evolution and its effect on phase transformations and super-elasticity characteristics were discussed.

Texture evolution during semicontinuous equal-channel angular extrusion process of interstitial-free steel

Semicontinuous equal-channel angular extrusion（ SC-ECAE） is a novel severe plastic deformation technique that has been developed to produce ultrafine-grain steels. Instead of external forces being exerted on specimens in the conventional ECAE,driving forces are applied to dies in SC-EACE. The deformation of interstitial-free（ IF） steel w as performed at room temperature,and individual specimens w ere repeatedly processed at various passes. An overall grain size of 0. 55 μm w as achieved after 10 passes. During SC-ECAE,the main textures of IF steel included { 111} ,{ 110} ,{ 112} ,{ 110} ,and { 110} At an early stage,increasing dislocations induce new textures and increase intensity. When the deformation continues,low-angle boundaries are formed betw een dislocation cell bands,w hich cause some dislocation cell bands to change their orientation,and therefore,the intensity of the textures begins to decrease. After more passes,the intensity of textures continues to decrease w ith high-angle boundaries,and the sub-grains in dislocation cell bands continuously increase. The present study reports the evolution of textures during deformation; these w ere examined and characterized using high-resolution electron backscattered diffraction（ EBSD） in a field emission scanning electron microscope. The mechanisms of texture evolution are discussed.

Large-scale manufacturing of aluminum alloy plate extruded from subsize billet by new porthole-equal channel angular processing technique

To manufacture plate by the combination of equal channel angular processing （ECAP） and porthole die extrusion techniques, a novel technique, namely portholes-equal channel angular processing （P-ECAP）, was studied. Extrusion of AL6005A plate used for the bullet train plate was investigated by finite element method. The relevant porthole dies involving ECAP technique in channels were designed. Dimensional changes in the scrap part of the extrudate obtained after extrusion from the P-ECAP die, with different channel angles, were predicted. Effects of the channel angle and extrusion speed on the maximum temperature of the workpiece and other field variables were evaluated. At the channel angle of 160° of P-ECAP dies, the extrudate exhibited the optimal performance and the least amount of extrudate scrap was obtained. The optimal extrusion speed was 3-5 mm/s. Moreover, with the increase in ram speed from 1 to 9 mm/s, the peak extrusion load increased by about 49% and the maximum temperature was increased by about 70 ℃. The effective strain exhibited ascending trend in the comer of the ECAP deformation zone. In the solder seam and the side of die bearing of extrudate, the maximum principal stresses were tensile stress.

Deformation Behavior and Microstructure Evolution during Equal Channel Angular Pressing of Pure Aluminum

The deformation behavior of equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)was discussed by using plasticity method.The node mapping method is employed to realize the analysis of multi-pass ECAP by using three-dimensional FEM methods for pure aluminum.The single-pass ECAP is a non-uniform shear deformation process in the cross-section of the workpiece.The uniform deformation processing routes are obtained during multi-pass ECAP process.In addition,the density of dislocations and defects of crystal lattice are also largely changed for different processing routes.The grain microstructure is gradually refined with the increase of the pressing passes.The grains and their distribution obtained by route Bc are more useful for producing the material with high angle grain boundaries.The grain microstructure of the cross section of the pressed material decreases with the increase of strain,and some grains exhibit transformed grain boundary(PTB)fringes.The dislocation density in the grain decreases,and the grain boundary presents equiaxed distribution.

Influence of secondary extrusion on microstructures and mechanical properties of ZK60 Mg alloy processed by extrusion and ECAP

The microstructures and properties of ZK60 alloy were evaluated under four different conditions： extrusion; extrusion and 4 passes of equal channel angular pressing （ECAP）; extrusion, 4 passes of ECAP and secondary extrusion; and extrusion, 4 passes of ECAP, annealing and secondary extrusion. Secondary extrusion at ambient temperature was successfully processed to produce ultrafine-grained ZK60 alloy. The results show that ECAP introduces significant grain refinement and there is additional refinement in secondary extrusion. High yield strength of 342 MPa is achieved after secondary extrusion at room temperature, but the elongation to failure is only 0.8%. However, by applying annealing before secondary extrusion, the ductility of ZK60 could be greatly improved to 4.5%, meanwhile the yield strength almost remains the same, and the ultimate strength of up to 388 MPa is obtained.

3D FEM simulations and experimental validation of plastic deformation of pure aluminum deformed by ECAP and combination of ECAP and direct extrusion

Rigid-viscoplastic3D finite element simulations(3D FEM)of the equal channel angular pressing(ECAP),thecombination of ECAP+extrusion with different extrusion ratios,and direct extrusion of pure aluminum were performed andanalyzed.The3D FEM simulations were carried out to investigate the load-displacement behavior,the plastic deformationcharacteristics and the effective plastic strain homogeneity of Al-1080deformed by different forming processes.The simulationresults were validated by microstructure observations,microhardness distribution maps and the correlation between the effectiveplastic strain and the microhardness values.The3D FEM simulations were performed successfully with a good agreement with theexperimental results.The load-displacement curves and the peak load values of the3D FEM simulations and the experimentalresults were close from each other.The microhardness distribution maps were in a good conformity with the effective plastic straincontours and verifying the3D FEM simulations results.The ECAP workpiece has a higher degree of deformation homogeneity thanthe other deformation processes.The microhardness values were calculated based on the average effective plastic strain.Thepredicted microhardness values fitted the experimental results well.The microstructure observations in the longitudinal andtransverse directions support the3D FEM effective plastic strain and microhardness distributions result in different formingprocesses.