Production of submicron-grained structure in aluminum 3003 by ECAE

Heavy plastic deformation and controlled recrystallization is effective for producing submicron-grained (SMG) materials capable of superplastic extrusion (SPE) or forging, with lower pressures, higher strains, and more complex shapes than traditional extrusion or forging. Equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) is an innovative deformation process capable of imparting heavy uniform deformation throughout massive sections which here-to-fore could only be attained in very thin sheet sections and wire. The process can be applied repeatedly (multiple passes) with arbitrary selection of planes and directions of shear, allowing for the control of the total amount of deformation and grain aspect ratio as well as the texture of the deformed billet. For example, after eight passes, the deformation in the billet material is equivalent to a true strain of 9.2 (equivalent area reduction ratio of 10,000:1). In contrast to conventional extrusion processes, the cross-section remains constant from the beginning to the end of ECAE. A submicron-grained (SMG) structures has been produced with ECAE in 3003 aluminum.

Production of submicron-grained structure in aluminum 3003 by ECAE Conference Paper