Anisotropic mechanical properties of equal channel angular pressed Al-5% Zr alloy containing platelet particles

Aluminum alloys containing platelet particles are known by their anisotropic mechanical properties. This anisotropy can be influenced by the change in the shape or the arrangement of those platelet intermetallics. In this study, the effect of processing Al/Al3Zr alloy by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) on its anisotropic mechanical properties has been investigated. Al-5 mass% Zr alloys processed by ECAP using routes A and BC were used for the investigation. ECAPed samples showed a notable decrease in the size of the Al3Zr platelets and an increased tendency to align parallel to the deformation axis with increasing the number of passes. Some anisotropy in compression strength was observed at 4 passes of deformation; however, this anisotropy became negligible after 8 passes of ECAP. The wear tests showed that the ECAPed samples have almost isotropic wear property.