Microstructure and texture evolution in a Cu–Ni–Si alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing

• A Cu–Ni–Si alloy is processed by ECAP up to 12 passes at 423 K through route A.
• The texture after ECAP is characterized by typical shear components of fcc metals.
• ECAP leads to randomization of the texture with increasing numbers of passes.
• ECAP through route A rotates the texture positions from the ideal component.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the evolution of microstructure and texture in a commercial Cu–2.5Ni–0.6Si (wt.%) alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) at 423 K for up to 12 passes. An electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis shows that ECAP processing leads to microstructural refinement with an average grain size of ∼0.9 μm. The refined grains are inclined to the direction of extrusion and the deformation structure evolves from elongated grains to a duplex microstructure of equiaxed and elongated grains. Detailed measurements demonstrate that the grain boundary misorientations gradually increase with increasing numbers of ECAP passes. The texture was investigated using both EBSD and neutron diffraction. The results show the texture after ECAP is characterized by typical shear components of face-centered cubic metals which deviate from their ideal positions.