Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1447852 | Acta Materialia | 2011 | 11 Pages |
The paper demonstrates the feasibility of upscaling of severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques using an integrated process that combines conventional extrusion and equal channel angular pressing in a single processing step. The process was applied for production of magnesium ZK60 bars 16 mm in diameter and up to 4 m in length. The processed material exhibited an excellent balance of strength and tensile ductility. It had a yield strength of 310 MPa and the ultimate tensile strength of 351 MPa. The total elongation of 17.1% was about 2.5 times and the reduction in area of 42.5% was more than 10 times larger than the corresponding values in the as-received condition. A transition from brittle to ductile fracture suggesting a change in the deformation mechanisms was also found in the material processed by the integrated SPD technique. Analysis of microstructure and texture of the SPD-processed bars showed that this excellent combination of strength and ductility can be attributed to the synergy of fine-grained microstructure and favorable texture promoting basal slip (in concert with non-basal slip), yet not to an extent that strength is sacrificed. The possibility to produce long bars of ZK60 with exceptionally good mechanical properties in a “semi-continuous” process is a promising opportunity for the transfer of severe plastic deformation processing to industrial manufacturing scale.