Experimental and FEM Analysis of the AA 6082 Processed by Equal Channel Angular Extrusion

Recent studies have shown that severe plastic deformation processes (SPD) improve the mechanical properties of the processed parts. Some of the most outstanding SPD processes are as follows: High Pressure Torsion (HPT), Repetitive Corrugation and Straightening (RCS), Cyclic Extrusion Compression (CEC), Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB), Conform and Continuous Combined Drawing and Rolling (CCDR), among others, but the most well-known is Equal Channel Angular Extrusion or Pressure (ECAE/ECAP). The aim of these processes is to introduce high values of deformation inside the parts in order to reduce the grain size and thus to improve the mechanical properties of the starting material. The study of the damage imparted to an AA-6082 alloy is made in the present work. This alloy is received as cast and it is quenched at a temperature of 530 ºC during 4 hours in order to be processed by ECAE at room temperature using different geometries of the dies. The imparted damage is also studied by using FEM simulations.