Developing Superplasticity in Metallic Alloys through the Application of Severe Plastic Deformation

Processing through the application of severe plastic deformation (SPD) provides an opportunity for achieving very significant grain refinement in bulk metals. Since the occurrence of superplastic flow generally requires a grain size smaller than ~10 µm, it is reasonable to anticipate that materials processed by SPD will exhibit superplastic ductilities when pulled in tension at elevated temperatures. This paper summarizes the fundamental principles of SPD processing and describes recent results demonstrating the occurrence of exceptional superplastic flow in these ultrafine-grained materials.