Papers by Keyword: Ultra-Fine Grain Sizes

Abstract: It is now well-established that processing through the application of severe plastic deformation (SPD) leads to a significant reduction in the grain size of a wide range of metallic materials. This paper examines the fabrication of ultrafine-grained materials using high-pressure torsion (HPT) where this process is attractive because it leads to exceptional grain refinement with grain sizes that often lie in the nanometer or submicrometer ranges. Two aspects of HPT are examined. First, processing by HPT is usually confined to samples in the form of very thin disks but recent experiments demonstrate the potential for extending HPT also to bulk samples. Second, since the strains imposed in HPT vary with the distance from the center of the disk, it is important to examine the development of inhomogeneities in disk samples processed by HPT.

Abstract: Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) is a valuable technique for refining grain sizes to the submicrometer or the nanometer range. This study explores the reason for the difference in the grain refining behavior between pure Al and pure Cu. First, very high purity levels were adopted in order to minimize any effects of impurities: 99.999% for Al and 99.99999% for Cu. Second, high purity (99.999%) Au was also used in order to examine the effect of stacking fault energy. All three pure metals were subjected to ECAP and microstructural observations and hardness measurements were undertaken with respect to the number of ECAP passes. It is concluded that the stacking fault energy plays an important role and accounts for the difference in the grain refining behavior in the ECAP process.

Abstract: Sandglass extrusion is an ultrafine grain size method. Due to the repetitive and multiple extrusions, large strain can be accumulated and ultrafine grain size can be obtained. Some factors can affect the experimental results of sandglass extrusion, such as extrusion ratio, number of extrusion, extrusion temperature, friction and free space in mould cavity etc. These factors have different effects on material microstructures, properties and defects. In this paper, the effects of extrusion ratio and friction on material microstructures during sandglass extrusion process have been discussed and theory analysis and experimental results have been reported.

Abstract: Titanium alloyed interstitial free steel was processed by means of accumulative roll bonding (ARB) in order to obtain an ultrafine grained structure. Ten consecutive rolling passes were applied at 480°C with a nominal reduction of 50% per pass and an intermediate annealing treatment of 5 min. at 500°C. A total true strain was obtained of evM = 8.0 which corresponds to an accumulated reduction of 99.9%. Orientation imaging microscopy was used to evaluate textures and microstructures. A pronounced lamellar structure was observed until the 5th pass with an incidence of high angle grain boundaries predominantly parallel to the rolling direction. After the 6th pass (evM = 4.8) an increased fragmentation perpendicular to the rolling direction starts to develop in spite of the lamellar microstructure with an average spacing of approximately 1 µm. From the 7th pass onwards (evM ≥ 5.6) a random high angle grain boundary distribution develops which results in a more equi-axed ultrafine microstructure after the 9th pass (evM = 7.2) with an average grain width of 200 nm. As the rolling is carried out without lubrication, the surface areas display a slightly more fragmented structure than the midlayer sections and typical shear texture components are present in these surface zones (<110>//ND and <211>//ND fibre). Although the sheets are stacked upon each other after each subsequent pass, the shear strain microstructural and textural features are rapidly decomposed in the midlayer in each subsequent rolling pass which is clearly revealed by the cross sectional orientation scan on the composite sample. Hence it cannot be concluded that the surface shear strain significantly contributes to the grain fragmentation in the bulk volume of the composite sample.

Abstract: By severe plastic deformation of metals, an ultra fine grain size can be obtained. In the present study an AA 1050 Aluminium alloy has been severe deformed by Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). A study on the microstructure and the texture of the samples after ECAP and subsequent heat treatment has been carried out. The specimens after ECAP showed a very fine grain size, a decrease of <100> // ND, and an increase of <111> // ND textures. The {111}<112>, {123}<634>, {110}<001>, {112}<111>, {110}<111>, and {013}<231> texture components were increased in the specimens after the ECAP and subsequent heat-treatment at 400° C for 1 hour. One of the most important properties in sheet metals is formability. The r-value or plastic strain ratio has been used as a parameter that expresses the formability of sheet metals. The change of the plastic strain ratios after the ECAP and subsequent heat-treatment conditions has been investigated and it was found that they were two times higher than those of the initial Al sheets. This could be attributed to the formation above texture components through the ECAP and subsequent heat-treatment.

Abstract: The design of base chemistry and optimization of rolling schedule are the two important factors that influence large strain accumulation in multi-pass rolling in order to obtain ultra-fine grain size by dynamic recrystallization. A base chemistry of 0.03C-0.003N-0.08Nb-0.015Ti-1.8Mn (all in weight %) of HTP steel design was chosen in order to control the time evolution of strain induced precipitation of NbC and the strain accumulation through precipitate interaction with recovery and recrystallization at short inter-pass times characteristic of strip rolling. Experimental data on the critical strain for static and dynamic recrystallisation for HTP steel are used in a quantitative model to predict strain accumulation pass by pass and to achieve grain refinement by dynamic recrystallisation through large strain accumulation. The model is used to optimize the time-temperature-deformation schedule to prevent static recrystallization during the inter-pass times and to target ultra-fine grain size through dynamic recrystallization by large strain accumulation. The model predictions are validated by simulation of strip rolling of HTP steel on the thermo-mechanical simulator (WUMSI) to obtain a uniform ultra-fine ferrite grain size of about 1.5 micrometer diameter in final ferrite microstructure.