Equal-channel angular extrusion of beryllium

The equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) technique has been applied to a powder metallurgy (P/M) source Be alloy. Extrusions have been successfully completed on Ni-canned billets of Be at approximately 425°C. No cracking was observed in the billets, and significant grain refinement was achieved. In this article, microstructural features and dislocation structures are discussed for a singlepass extrusion, including evidence of <c> and <c+a> dislocations. Significant crystallographic texture developed during ECAE, which is discussed in terms of this unique deformation processing technique and the underlying physical processes which sustain the deformation. S.R. AGNEW, formerly with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6115 This article is based on a presentation made in the symposium entitled “Defect Properties and Mechanical Behavior of HCP Metals and Alloys” at the TMS Annual Meeting, February 11–15, 2001, in New Orleans, Louisiana, under the auspices of the following ASM committees: Materials Science Critical Technology Sector, Structural Materials Division, Electronic, Magnetic & Photonic Materials Division, Chemistry & Physics of Materials Committee, Joint Nuclear Materials Committee, and Titanium Committee.     

Finite-element modeling of nonisothermal equal-channel angular extrusion

Deformation during conventional (nonisothermal) hot working of metals via equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was investigated using two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) finite-element modeling (FEM) analysis. The effects of material flow properties, die-workpiece heat-transfer and friction conditions, and die design on metal flow were examined. Friction and die design were shown to be the most important parameters governing the formation of dead-metal zones during extrusion. On the other hand, thermal gradients induced by die chill and deformation heating were found to exacerbate the extent of flow localization that arises due to material-flow softening alone. The FEM predictions were validated by ECAE experiments on a Ti-6Al-4V alloy with a colony alpha microstructure. Preforms exhibited minor edge cracking and mild flow localization during extrusion at 985 °C, but severe shear localization and fracture during extrusion at 900 °C. The 2-D FEM simulations predicted deformation detail, including shear localization, that was in good agreement with the experimental results, but 3-D FEM simulations were required to realistically predict die chill. A combined approach, in which thermal data were extracted from 3-D simulations and inserted into 2-D simulations, produced load-stroke and fracture predictions in general agreement with measured values.     

Equal-channel angular pressing of commercial aluminum alloys: Grain refinement, thermal stability and tensile properties

Using equal-channel angular (ECA) pressing at room temperature, the grain sizes of six different commercial aluminum-based alloys (1100, 2024, 3004, 5083, 6061, and 7075) were reduced to within the submicrometer range. These grains were reasonably stable up to annealing temperatures of ∼200 °C and the submicrometer grains were retained in the 2024 and 7075 alloys to annealing temperatures of 300 °C. Tensile testing after ECA pressing through a single pass, equivalent to the introduction of a strain of ∼1, showed there is a significant increase in the values of the 0.2 pct proof stress and the ultimate tensile stress (UTS) for each alloy with a corresponding reduction in the elongations to failure. It is demonstrated that the magnitudes of these stresses scale with the square root of the Mg content in each alloy. Similar values for the proof stresses and the UTS were attained at the same equivalent strains in samples subjected to cold rolling, but the elongations to failure were higher after ECA pressing to equivalent strains >1 because of the introduction of a very small grain size. Detailed results for the 1100 and 3004 alloys show good agreement with the standard Hall-Petch relationship.     

半连续等通道挤压过程的力学分析与模拟

半连续等通道挤压法是一种在等径角挤压法思想上发展出来的用于细化钢铁材料晶粒的大塑性变形方法,其特点在于转变施力对象,通过对模具施加压力来驱动工件完成大塑性变形,从而增大可加工的材料尺寸,降低对模具材质与精度的要求,在获得整体均匀细化的晶粒的同时具备连续生产的能力.通过详细描述该方法的实现过程,并结合滑移线法、有限元模拟以及实际数据验证,阐明了在实施该方法过程中工件受力情况.     

Texture evolution during semicontinuous equal-channel angular extrusion process of interstitial-free steel

Semicontinuous equal-channel angular extrusion( SC-ECAE) is a novel severe plastic deformation technique that has been developed to produce ultrafine-grain steels. Instead of external forces being exerted on specimens in the conventional ECAE,driving forces are applied to dies in SC-EACE. The deformation of interstitial-free( IF) steel w as performed at room temperature,and individual specimens w ere repeatedly processed at various passes. An overall grain size of 0. 55 μm w as achieved after 10 passes. During SC-ECAE,the main textures of IF steel included { 111} 110 ,{ 110} 112 ,{ 112} 111 ,{ 110} 111 ,and { 110} 001 At an early stage,increasing dislocations induce new textures and increase intensity. When the deformation continues,low-angle boundaries are formed betw een dislocation cell bands,w hich cause some dislocation cell bands to change their orientation,and therefore,the intensity of the textures begins to decrease. After more passes,the intensity of textures continues to decrease w ith high-angle boundaries,and the sub-grains in dislocation cell bands continuously increase. The present study reports the evolution of textures during deformation; these w ere examined and characterized using high-resolution electron backscattered diffraction( EBSD) in a field emission scanning electron microscope. The mechanisms of texture evolution are discussed.     

等径弯角挤压工艺(ECAEP)研究现状

等径弯角挤压是制备块状细晶材料的一种大塑性变形工艺，目前得到国内外高度重视．本文简要介绍了等径弯角挤压工艺的基本原理和变形特点，从理论上对其变形方式和机理进行了分析，并详细介绍了该工艺的应用领域。     

Study on grain refinement of interstitial-free steel during continuous frictional angular extrusion

To explore the application of severe plastic deformation for grain refinement in steel production,a new method called continuous frictional angular extrusion (CFAE) was applied to refine the grain of interstitial-free steel.The deformation was carried out at room temperature and individual sheet specimens were processed in different number of passes.An overall grain size of 200nm was achieved after 8 passes and the proportion of high-angle boundaries to the total boundaries was more than 60%.Through the characterization of high resolution EBSD,X-ray diffraction (XRD) and hardness testing,this paper discussed the evolution of microstructures and textures during deformation and explored the development direction of the method.     

The effect of temperature and extrusion speed on the consolidation of zirconium-based metallic glass powder using equal-channel angular extrusion

In this study, gas-atomized amorphous Zr_58.5Nb_2.8Cu_15.6Ni_12.8Al_10.3 (Vitreloy 106a) containing 1280 ppmw oxygen was consolidated by equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE). The powder was vacuum encapsulated in copper cans and subjected to one extrusion pass in the temperature region above the glass transition temperature (T _g) and below the crystallization temperature (T _x). The effects of extrusion temperature and the extrusion rate on microstructure, thermal stability, hardness, and compressive strength are investigated. Compression fracture surfaces were examined to determine the deformation mechanisms. The consolidates in which the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) boundary was not crossed during processing exhibit differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) patterns similar to the initial powder, with a slight decrease in T _x. Compressive strengths of about 1.6 GPa are recorded in the consolidates processed at 30 °C and 40 °C below T _x, which is close to what is observed in cast counterparts. The fracture surfaces exhibit vein patterns covering up to 90 pct of the surface area in some samples, which are characteristic of glassy material fracture. The slight decrease in T _x after consolidation is attributed to thermal-history-dependent short-range order and formation of nanocrystalline islands. The present results show that ECAE is successful in consolidation of metallic glass powder. This processing avenue opens a new opportunity to fabricate bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with dimensions that may be impossible to achieve by casting methods.     

Hot working of Ti-6Al-4V via equal channel angular extrusion

The deformation behavior of Ti-6Al-4V during high-temperature equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) with or without an initial increment of upset deformation was determined for billets with either a lamellar or an equiaxed alpha preform microstructure. For conventional ECAE (i.e., deformation by simple shear alone), flow localization and fracture occurred at temperatures between 900 °C and 985 °C. In contrast, billets deformed at temperatures between 845 °C and 985 °C using an initial increment of upset deformation immediately followed by the simple shear deformation of ECAE exhibited uniform flow with no significant cracking or fracture. A simple flow-localization criterion was used to explain the influence of preupsetting on the suppression of localization in billets with the lamellar microstructure. The suppression of flow localization for the equiaxed microstructure and the elimination of edge cracking for both types of microstructures were explained in terms of heat transfer (die chill) and workpiece geometry. Further evidence of the relative importance of microstructural and thermal effects was extracted from the results of two-pass extrusions, the first with upsetting and the second without upsetting.     

Effect of deformation route on microstructural development in aluminum processed by equal channel angular extrusion

Aluminum has been deformed by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) to obtain submicron-grained structures under different deformation routes. The deformation routes were varied by rotating billets through 0, 90, and 180 deg between each extrusion pass, and were designated as route A, B_C, and C, respectively. Based on quantitative microstructural analysis, the effectiveness of the deformation route is shown to depend upon the different definition used. The order of effectiveness is (a) A > B_C > C for both 90 and 120 deg dies, in terms of the generation of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs); (b) B_C > C > A for both 90 and 120 deg dies, in terms of the formation of equiaxed shape of grains; and (c) B_C > A > C for 90 deg die and B_C ∼ A > C for 120 die, in terms of reducing grain size. It is suggested that the generation of HAGBs can be related to the accumulation of nonredundant strain, while the shape and orientation of grains may be linked to the shearing patterns of the deformation route.     

Workability of commercial-purity titanium and 4340 steel during equal channel angular extrusion at cold-working temperatures

The deformation and failure of commercial-purity (CP) titanium (grade 2) and AISI 4340 steel (tempered to R _c 35) during equal channel angular extrusion were determined at temperatures between 25 °C and 325 °C and effective strain rates between 0.002 and 2.0 s⁻¹. The CP titanium alloy underwent segmented failure under all conditions except at low strain rates and high temperatures. By contrast, the 4340 steel deformed uniformly except at the highest temperature and strain rate, at which it also exhibited segmented failure. Using flow curves and fracture data from uniaxial compression and tension tests, workability analysis was conducted to establish that the failures were a result of flow localization prior to the onset of fracture. This conclusion was confirmed by metallographic examination of the failed extrusion specimens.     

Microstructure and properties of copper and aluminum alloy 3003 heavily worked by equal channel angular extrusion

A technique invented in the former Soviet Union and recently introduced in the United States, called equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE), produces intense and uniform deformation by simple shear and is applied to 25 × 25 × 152-mm billets of Cu 101 and Al 3003. Microcrystalline structures with a grain size of 0.2 to 0.4 μm are created during room-temperature multipass ECAE deformation for true strains lying in the range ε=2.31 to 9.24. Evidence shows that intense simple shear deformation promotes dynamic or continuous recrystallization by subgrain rotation. The effects of the number of extrusion passes and deformation route for Cu 101, and the deformation route after four passes for Al 3003, are studied. Increasing the number of ECAE passes in Cu 101 causes strength to reach saturation and grain refinement stabilization after four passes (true strain of 4.68), and subgrain misorientation to increase as the number of passes increases. For multipass ECAE with billet orientation constant (route A) or rotated 90 deg between all passes (route B), two levels of structures are created inside the original grains: shear bands (first level) and very fine subgrains (second level) within the shear bands. For a billet rotation of 180 deg between passes (route C), an unusual event is observed. At each even numbered pass, shear bands nearly disappear and only subgrains are present inside the original grains. Route B gives the highest strength, whereas route C produces a more equiaxed and stable microstructure. Subsequent static recrystallization increases the average grain size to 5 to 10 μm.     

Evolution of crystallographic texture during equal channel angular extrusion of copper: The role of material variables

The evolution of crystallographic texture during equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) using route A has been investigated experimentally as well as by simulations for three types of materials: pure, commercially pure, and impure (cast) copper. The ECAE texture of copper can be compared with simple shear textures. However, there are deviations in terms of location of the respective components. These differences can be nearly reproduced using a recent flow line approach for ECAE deformation (L.S. Tóth, R. Arruffat-Massion, L. Germain, S.C. Baik, and S. Suwas: Acta Mater., 2004, vol. 52, pp. 1885–98) with the help of the viscoplastic self-consistent polycrystal model. The main texture components common to all three materials are A_1E and B_E/B_E; the latter ones are significantly stronger in the cast material. The effect of further deformation on texture modification depends on material variables, such as purity, initial microstructure, and texture.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Semi-continuous Equal-channel Angular Extruded Interstitial-free Steel

An innovative method called semi-continuous equal-channel angular extrusion(SC-ECAE)has been developed to produce ultrafine grained steel by inducing severe plastic deformation.In contrast to the external forces that are exerted on specimens in traditional ECAE,the driving forces are applied on the dies in the novel SC-EACE process.Commercial interstitial-free steel sheets with width of 160 mm and thickness of 2 mm were processed repeatedly to various passes at room temperature using this method.The microstructural evolution was characterized using high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD),and the mechanical properties were investigated by tensile testing.The EBSD images indicated that the fraction of high-angle boundaries(HABs)began to increase gradually after four passes;after six passes,elongated HAB structures with nearly submicron-scale average spacings were formed.The tensile testing results showed that strengthening was accompanied by a decrease in tensile ductility,but no significant anisotropy was observed.After 10 passes,a final HAB fraction of about 90% and an overall grain size of 0.55μm,yield strength of 638.7 MPa,an ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of 710.3 MPa,and a total elongation of 12.0% were obtained.     

ECAE法制备的铝青铜合金显微组织及摩擦学性能

对两相铝青铜合金(Cu-10%Al-4%Fe)进行等通道转角挤压(Equal channel angular extrusion, 简称ECAE)热加工处理,研究ECAE对合金微观组织及摩擦学性能的影响.结果表明,ECAE热挤压可显著细化铝青铜合金晶粒,并显著提高该合金的摩擦学性能.未经ECAE挤压处理的铝青铜合金表面具有严重的磨粒磨损特征,而经4道次挤压处理后其表面只呈现轻微的磨粒磨损特征.铝青铜介金的摩擦因数及磨损量均随挤压道次增加而减小,这是由于晶粒细化提高了它的硬度和强度,也因此提高其抗塑性变形能力,从而减少磨损过程中的塑性变形,提高其耐磨性能;另外,铝青铜合金抗塑性变形能力增加,减少了磨粒对其表面的犁削作用,也提高了该合金的磨损性能.     

Superplasticity of beryllium

Beryllium is a metal having unique physicomechanical properties, including a record specific rigidity, but it undergoes cold and red brittleness. As a result of long-term investigations, we were the first to manufacture high-purity fine-grained beryllium, which has the room-temperature plasticity that is higher than that of commercial-purity powdered beryllium by an order of magnitude and exhibits superplastic flow at elevated temperatures. In this review, we summarize the results of the long-term study of the superplastic flow of beryllium and the mechanisms of high-temperature deformation.     

Immunotoxicity of beryllium

The patient, a 35-year-old woman, had been diagnosed as SLE since she developed butterfly rash, arthritis and hair loss with positive antinuclear antibody, anti-DNA antibody, and LE cells in 1989, and treated with daily 20 mg prednisolone (PSL). She had been suffering from nausea, vomiting and waterly diarrhea since 1992. In June 1995, she noted pollakisuria and sense of residual urine, followed by dysuria and nocturia in October. She was admitted to our hospital in January 1996 with progressive gastrointestinal and urinary symptoms. Computerized tomography (CT) depicted thickening of the wall of intestine and bladder, diminished volume of bladder, and bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureter. Biopsy of the bladder revealed erosion of mucosa and moderate infiltration with inflammatory cells. The diagnosis of lupus cystitis and peritonitis was made and she was initially given intravenous methylprednisolon pulse therapy (500 mg/day) for 3 days, and then switched to 100 mg of daily intravenous PSL. She responded partially to this regimen, but gradually developed gastrointestinal and urinary symptoms again when PSL was tapered down to 70 mg/day. Therefore, monthly intravenous cyclophosuphamide pulse therapy was started. With this therapy, her bladder and bowel symptoms improved, and then the thickness of her bladder and intestinal wall, and the bladder volume normalized. Five months after institution of therapy, PSL was successfully tapered down to 30 mg/day and she was discharged. Intravenous cyclophosphamidepulse therapy is a choice of treatment for steroid-resistant lupus cystitis and peritonitis.     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical behavior of bulk copper obtained by consolidation of micro- and nanopowders using equal-channel angular extrusion

The consolidation of copper micro- and nanoparticles (325 mesh, 130 nm, and 100 nm) was performed using room-temperature equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE). The effects of extrusion route, number of passes, and extrusion rate on consolidation performance were evaluated. The evolution of the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of the consolidates were investigated and related to the processing route. Possible deformation mechanisms are proposed and compared to those in ECAE-processed bulk Cu. A combined high ultimate tensile stress (470 MPa) and ductility (∼20 pct tensile fracture strain) with near-elasto-plastic behavior was observed in consolidated 325-mesh Cu powder. On the other hand, early plastic instability took place, leading to a continuous softening in flow stress of bulk ECAE-processed copper. Increases in both strength and ductility were evident with an increasing number of passes in the bulk samples, which appears to be inconsistent with grain-boundary-moderated deformation mechanisms for a microstructure with an average grain size of 300 to 500 nm. Instead, this increase is attributed to microstructural refinement and to dynamic recovery and bimodal grain-size distribution. Near-perfect elastoplasticity in consolidated 325-mesh Cu powder is explained by a combined effect of strain hardening accommodated by large grains in the bimodal structure and softening caused by recovery mechanisms. Compressive strengths as high as 760 MPa were achieved in consolidated 130-nm copper powder. Although premature failure occurred during tensile loading in 130-nm consolidated powder, the fracture strength was still about 730 MPa. The present study shows that ECAE consolidation of nanoparticles opens a new possibility for the study of mechanical behavior of bulk nanocrystalline (NC) materials, as well as offering a new class of bulk materials for practical engineering applications.