High-rate severe plastic deformation by machining was explored, in a typical low stacking fault energy material - brass, as a route for generating a high density of nanometer-scale twins amidst dislocation structures. This nanotwinned system exhibited a greatly improved strength compared to the bulk microcrystalline state. The twin densities were found to be retained even after modest thermal agitation, which was also seen to engender a small “hardening by annealing” effect in the nanotwinned material.

Nanotwinned Microstructures from Low Stacking Fault Energy Brass by High-Rate Severe Plastic Deformation. J.Cai, S.Shekhar, J.Wang, M.Ravi Shankar: Scripta Materialia, 2009, 60[8], 599-602