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Superplasticity denotes the ability of a limited number of materials to achieve exceptionally high tensile elongations of at least 400%. Experiments show that the Al-Mg-Sc alloys provide excellent capabilities for achieving superplastic flow and also they can be formed easily in biaxial superplastic forming operations. It is important, therefore, to examine the superplastic flow mechanism when the alloy is prepared using different procedures. This report examines the superplastic characteristics of these alloys after preparation without subjecting to any severe plastic deformation (SPD), after processing using the two SPD procedures of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high-pressure torsion (HPT) and after processing using the alternative procedure of friction stir processing (FSP). The results are compared using each technique and they are examined with reference to a theoretical model that was developed specifically for superplastic flow in conventional alloys.

Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) leads to grain refinement and strengthening of metals. Among the many SPD processing methods, Multi-Directional Forging (MDF) is the only one where in-situ material stress–strain curves can be obtained. These are adequate only for specimens re-machined after each compression step, thus avoiding problems connected to specimen shape distortions; re-machining involves complex, expensive and time consuming procedures. This difficulty has been circumvented using confined plane strain compressions, where the strain path, however, differs from that in simple, unconfined free compression. A new processing method involving, for each processing step, an initial free simple compression followed by a confined compression (Multi-Directional Confined Forging – MDCF) is proposed, eliminating the specimen re-machining. Strengthening by MDF depends on strain amplitude; low strain amplitude MDF (LSA-MDF) leads to lower work hardening of the material than high strain amplitude MDF, as well as to limited softening and to an increase in the residual work hardening capacity of material previously deformed monotonically or in successive deformation steps with high strain amplitudes. This supplies a highly desired enhanced uniform elongation of the material after SPD. It is shown that Low Strain Amplitude Multi-Directional Confined Forging (LSA-MDCF) of aluminum leads to adequate stress–strain curves up to the contact of the specimen with the confining die walls, as well as to microstructures very similar to those obtained using free compressions with re-machined specimens. This processing route is simpler, faster and cheaper than LSA-MDF with re-machined samples, and thus emerges as a more practical MDF route.

A magnesium/aluminium composite was produced by room temperature consolidation through high-pressure torsion (HPT) processing. Half-discs of the pure metals were placed side-by-side and subjected to different numbers of turns. The initially reduced interface between the phases gradually increased with increasing rotation. The composite displayed a significant ductility even after 10 turns. The distribution of hardness in the HPT-processed discs was bi-modal in the early stages of processing. As the number of turns increased and the thickness of the phases decreased there was a noticeable increase in hardness. The hardness values of the composite further increased after thermal treatment due to the formation of intermetallics within the interface between the magnesium and aluminium-rich phases.

Experiments were performed to analyze the microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of commercial-purity copper (99.8%) processed by up to 48 cycles of multi-directional forging (MDF) using a low strain amplitude of ∼0.075 (total accumulated strain ε ≈ 10.8). Parabolic work-hardening concomitantly with increasing dislocation densities was observed up to ε ≈ 2, followed by a practically constant flow stress due to dynamic recovery. The average grain size was reduced from 30.5 μm in the annealed metal down to 4.1 μm for ε ≈ 7.2; the fraction of sub-micrometric grains reached ∼12% for ε ≈ 10.8. The microstructural changes were attributed to the fragmentation of the original grains by dislocation structures having low misorientation angles which gradually evolved into arrays of high-angle grain boundaries with increasing numbers of MDF cycles. The Cu samples subjected to 48 cycles of MDF displayed limited dynamic recrystallization, exhibiting basically dislocation cells and sub-grains with an average size of ∼0.6 μm. It is demonstrated that low strain amplitude MDF delays the kinetics of grain refinement in copper compared with MDF using higher strain amplitudes. Fil: Flausino, Paula Cibely Alves. Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto; Brasil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil Fil: Nassif, Maria Elisa Landim. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil Fil: de Castro Bubani, Franco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Pereira, Pedro Henrique R.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil Fil: Aguilar, Maria Teresa Paulino. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil Fil: Cetlin, Paulo Roberto. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil

High pressure torsion offers unique conditions for the consolidation of metallic particles at room temperature owing to the high hydrostatic compressive stresses combined with the high shear strain. A Mg-Al2O3 composite was produced by consolidation of machining chips of pure magnesium with 10% in volume of alumina particles. The consolidation process was investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microtomography. It is shown that shear deformation concentrates along thick alumina particle layers in the initial stage of deformation. A significant fraction of the hard phase particles are pushed into the outflow in quasi-constrained HPT and a homogeneous composite is achieved after significant straining. The composite exhibits a refined microstructure, a higher hardness and improved resistance against room temperature creep compared to pure magnesium.

Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) leads to grain refinement and strengthening of metals. The most utilized SPD techniques are Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP), High Pressure Torsion (HPT) and Multi-Axial Compression (MAC). Only MAC allows the determination of the stress–strain curves of the material during processing. Although ECAP and HPT processing has been analyzed in detail, there are few studies of MAC procedures and their consequences. It is shown that only specimens re-machined after each compression lead to adequate MAC stress–strain curves of the material, whose microstructures are not affected by re-machining.

Magnesium and its alloys display interesting properties such as low density and biocompatibility but the lack of ductility and low strength compromise their performance in many applications. Fabrication of metal matrix composites may alleviate these challenges and improve overall performance. Magnesium matrix composites can be produced by cold consolidation of particles through high-pressure torsion and this paper summarizes recent findings in processing routes for the fabrication of composites, the microstructure developed, mechanical properties obtained and potential applications. It is shown that ductile materials can be mixed with magnesium by processing half samples placed side by side and hard and brittle materials can be incorporated by processing mixed particles. The distribution of phases may be controlled by the amount of rotation imposed during processing. Well-dispersed second phase particles within a continuous magnesium matrix can be obtained. Thus, it is possible to incorporate bioactive materials within a biodegradable magnesium matrix. Detailed characterization using transmission electron microscopy reveals the processing also refines the grain structure of the metallic matrix. The composites may display good ductility, improved strength and an ability to precipitate intermetallics through thermal treatment. The composites produced using high-pressure torsion have different potential applications including the development of bioactive and biodegradable biological implants.

The high-pressure torsion processing technique was used to consolidate and process magnesium-based chips. Chips were prepared by machining commercially pure magnesium and a magnesium alloy AZ91 separately. Optical microscopy and microhardness measurements showed good consolidation of pure magnesium. The magnesium alloy continued to exhibit the boundaries between the chips even after 5 turns of HPT suggesting poor bonding. The results show that soft chips are easier to consolidate through HPT than harder alloys.

The mechanical behavior of an AZ31 magnesium alloy processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) was evaluated by tensile testing from room temperature up to 473 K at strain rates between 10-5 – 10-2 s-1. Samples tested at room temperature and at high strain rates at 373 K failed without any plastic deformation. However, significant ductility, with elongations larger than 200%, was observed at 423 K and 473 K and at low strain rates at 373 K. The high elongations are attributed to a pronounced strain hardening and a high strain rate sensitivity. The results agree with reports for a similar alloy processed by severe plastic deformation. However, the level of flow stress is lower and the strain rate sensitivity and the elongations are larger than observed in this alloy processed by conventional thermo-mechanical processing.

The Al-Mg-Sc alloys have become important materials in research conducted on superplasticity in aluminum-based alloys. Many results are now available and this provides an opportunity to examine the consistency of these data and also to make a direct comparison with the predicted rate of flow in conventional superplasticity. Accordingly, all available data were tabulated with divisions according to whether the samples were prepared without processing using severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques or they were processed using the SPD procedures of equal-channel angular pressing or high-pressure torsion or they were obtained from friction stir processing. It is shown that all results are mutually consistent, the measured superplastic strain rates have no clear dependence on the precise chemical compositions of the alloys and there is general agreement, to within less than one order of magnitude of strain rate, with the theoretical prediction for superplastic flow in conventional materials.

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) of metals leads to their strengthening and grain refinement, but to low uniform elongations. Low Strain Amplitude Multi Directional Forging (LSA-MDF) is an important method for increasing this low uniform elongation. The application of workpieces of SPD-processed materials requires that their distributions of mechanical properties, microstructures and deformation be as homogeneous as possible. Analyses of these distributions after LSA-MDF have not been found in the literature, and are presented in the current investigation utilizing microhardness measurements, optical and electronic microscopy and finite element simulations. LSA-MDF causes higher strains, mcrohardeness and structural distortions in the central regions of the specimens than at their edges and corners. In addition, LSA-MDF utilizing confined compressions seems to be the preferred processing route, due to its ease and to the more homogeneous microhardness, microstructure and strain distributions in relation to other experimental procedures.

The low ductility of magnesium at room temperature is usually attributed to an insufficient number of independent slip systems. Recent research has shown that refining the grain structure of pure magnesium promotes a breakdown in the Hall‐Petch relationship at low strain rates and may lead to the development of exceptional ductilities. This report describes the evolution of microstructure and the mechanical behaviour of pure magnesium using different amounts of imposed plastic deformation by high‐pressure torsion (HPT). It is shown that the initial coarse grains undergo twinning followed by a gradual grain refinement. The flow stress at low strain rates decreases as the grain size is reduced, thereby confirming an inverse Hall‐Petch behaviour. The elongation to failure increases with grain refinement and elongations over 300% are achieved after 1/2 turn of HPT. These experimental data agree with a model for the low temperature deformation behaviour of fine‐grained pure magnesium.

The effect of the increase in crystalline defects in the structure generated by high-pressure torsion (HPT) on the corrosion behavior of metallic materials is not well understood. This report evaluates the influence of HPT on the corrosion behavior of a solution treated Al-3wt% Mg-0.2wt% Sc alloy in a 3.5 wt./v.% NaCl solution. The electrochemical behavior of the alloy was evaluated using cyclic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Mott Schottky, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry testing. The passive current density decreased after HPT processing, indicating a more protective oxide layer was formed on the surface of the HPT-processed alloy. Mott Schottky analysis confirmed the higher protection efficiency of the passive layer on the HPT-processed alloy. The film formed in the solution-treated alloy was a p-type and an n-type semiconductor while the alloy processed by HPT exhibited only an n-type semiconductor behavior. EIS showed that corrosion resistance in a saline medium increased with HPT processing.

Hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass particles were added to pure magnesium and an AZ91 magnesium alloy and then consolidated into disc-shaped samples at room temperature using high-pressure torsion (HPT). The bioactive particles appeared well-dispersed in the metal matrix after multiple turns of HPT. Full consolidation was attained using pure magnesium, but the center of the AZ91 disc failed to fully consolidate even after 50 turns. The magnesium-hydroxyapatite composite displayed an ultimate tensile strength above 150 MPa, high cell viability, and a decreasing rate of corrosion during immersion in Hank&rsquo, s solution. The composites produced with bioactive glass particles exhibited the formation of calcium phosphate after 2 h of immersion in Hank&rsquo, s solution and there was rapid corrosion in these materials.

It is well-known that processing by severe plastic deformation using high-pressure torsion (HPT) promotes grain refinement and increases the strength of magnesium and its alloys. The present research is conducted to evaluate the effect of such processing on cytotoxicity and corrosion behavior in Hank's solution by using samples of commercial purity magnesium and AZ31, AZ91, and ZK60 magnesium alloys. All samples are subjected to electrochemical testing and hydrogen evolution testing before and after processing by HPT and the results show that this processing improves the corrosion resistance of pure magnesium, has no significant effect on the AZ31 and AZ91 alloys but reduces the corrosion resistance of the ZK60 alloy. The observations support the conclusion that grain refinement improves the corrosion resistance of metals with a tendency for passivation but impedes the resistance of metals without passivation. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity tests are performed on the processed materials and show cell viability in all samples. The results demonstrate that HPT processing may be used to improve the performance of magnesium and its alloys as biodegradable implants.

An artificially aged Al-Zn-Mg alloy with a grain size of ~ 1.3 µm was processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and then subjected to dynamic compression at a strain rate of 4000 s-1 in the range from room temperature to 673 K. The results show the n' phase is refined and a n phase is formed during the first pass of ECAP and after further processing 8 passes the GP zones are removed. An ultrafine-grained (UFG) structure with an average grain size of ~200 nm was obtained after 4 passes. It is shown that dynamic compressive deformation assists the precipitation process through precipitate coalescence and by changing the precipitate orientations. The dynamic compressive yield strengths and flow stresses decrease gradually to different degrees with increasing temperature except after ECAP processing for 4 passes where there is thermal stability up to 473 K. The ECAP processing significantly improves the strength of the alloy at elevated temperatures by comparison with the as-received material.

Mg–Gd–Y–Zr alloys have attracted much attention recently due to their ability to exhibit stable fine-grained microstructures and their potential superplastic behavior. However, the microstructure and superplasticity of these alloys processed by severe plastic deformation (SPD) methods remain less understood. In this work, the microstructure and superplastic behavior of an Mg–5Gd–4Y–0.4Zr (GW54) alloy were investigated after processing using extrusion and the SPD processes of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high-pressure torsion (HPT). Microstructural characterization by transmission electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction showed that nano-sized grains of ~72±5 nm were obtained after 8 HPT turns whereas the grain sizes were about ~4.6±0.2 and ~2.2±0.2 µm after extrusion and 4 ECAP passes, respectively. Shear punch tests revealed that the optimum temperature for superplasticity is 623 K for the HPT samples and 723 K for the ECAP and extrusion samples, at which the strain rate sensitivities were measured as about 0.42±0.05, 0.46±0.05 and 0.50±0.05 for the extrusion, ECAP and HPT samples, respectively, and the corresponding activation energies were about 117, 101 and 110 kJ/mol for these three processing conditions. These results suggest that grain boundary sliding controlled by grain boundary diffusion is the dominant mechanism of deformation at the optimum temperatures for superplastic flow.

The Al-1% Mg and Al-0.1% Mg alloys were both processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature. In the Al-1% Mg alloy, the hardness values in the disc centre area are lower than in the disc edge area after 1/2 and 1 turn, and the area of lower hardness values in the disc centre decreases as the number of turns increases from 1/2 to 1 turn. Finally, the hardness values are reasonably homogenous along the disc diameter as the number of turns increases to 5 and 10 turns. The Al-0.1% Mg alloy displays a different hardness evolution behavior: the hardness values in the disc centre are higher than at the disc edge 1/2 and 1 turn, and the area of higher hardness values decreases as the numbers of turn increases from 1/2 to 1 turn. The hardness values evolve towards homogeneity along the disc diameter after 5 and 10 turns. EBSD microstructure investigations in the Al-0.1% Mg alloy reveal that a few low-angle boundaries exist at the disc edge after 1/2 turn. It is suggested that the higher hardness values in the disc centre in the Al-0.1% Mg alloy are related to rapid recovery at the disc edge where the material is subjected to heavy straining.

An Al-3% Mg-0.2% Sc alloy was subjected to annealing or solution treatment and further processed by HPT at room temperature. Microhardness measurements were taken along the middle-sections of the discs and they demonstrated that a very substantial hardening is achieved during HPT processing regardless of the initial heat treatment. Hardness values of ~200 Hv were recorded at the edge of the samples although the microhardness distribution remained inhomogeneous along the diameters of the discs after 20 turns of high-pressure torsion. In addition, the microhardness of the solution treated Al-Mg-Sc samples continued to increase with the equivalent strain imposed by the anvils even after 30 turns of HPT processing whereas the hardness at the edges of the annealed discs saturated after 10 turns. These differences in the hardness evolution are attributed to the higher Mg content in solid solution in the case of the solution treated samples and its influence on delaying the recovery rate of this aluminium alloy.

Experiments were performed to examine the flow behavior and microstructural evolution in a Zn–Al–Cu–Mg alloy processed by up to 23 cycles of multi-directional forging (MDF). After a total strain (e) of ~20.7 the grain sizes in the primary η-Zn, eutectic and eutectoid components were reduced to ~0.25, 0.4 and 0.3 μm, respectively. The metal exhibits profuse shear banding and twinning and undergoes work hardening in the 1st MDF cycle. Further straining up to e ≈ 7 promotes significant grain refinement together with strain softening due to occurrence of grain boundary sliding. Afterwards, the plastic flow occurs under a constant stress and flow softening is again prevalent for e > 12. The individual components in the Zn–Al hypoeutectic alloy display different kinetics of hardening and grain refinement such that the microstructural changes are first observed in the primary η-Zn areas and subsequently in the eutectoid and eutectic domains. Based on the average hardness in each component, the rule of mixtures was used to estimate the overall material strength after MDF. Although the results show similar trends, it is revealed that the rule of mixtures overestimates the flow stresses compared with the in-situ stress-strain curve. This undermines the hypothesis of iso-strain and suggests that deformation concentrates in the weaker areas in the flow softening stages of MDF processing.

Nanostructured Cu–Ta alloys show great potential as high strength nanocrystalline materials due to their excellent mechanical properties and limited grain growth at high temperatures. This report describes the fabrication of nanostructured immiscible Cu–Ta alloys in bulk by high-pressure torsion (HPT) using a stack of Cu/Ta/Cu discs at room temperature. A microstructural study after HPT processing showed that the internal Ta layer breaks into small individual flakes which distribute uniformly over the Cu matrix through increases in the numbers of HPT turns. There is solid-state diffusion between the Cu and Ta when the HPT processing increases to 100 turns due to microstructural refinement and increasing crystalline defects. After processing through 150 turns, a composite microstructure of two phases is formed including supersaturated Cu–Ta solid solutions (Cu81Ta19 and Ta78Cu22 alloys) with a crystallite size of ∼35–45 nm. This fine microstructure produces exceptional mechanical properties including a high hardness of over 350 Hv corresponding to ∼3.43 GPa, a tensile strength of ∼1300 MPa and a tensile elongation of about 40%.

Extremely thin Nb2O5 nanowires and Al powder were successfully consolidated at room temperature by using high-pressure torsion (HPT), producing a novel metal matrix nanocomposite with exceptional mechanical properties. It is shown that minor additions of Nb2O5 increase sharply the hardness of commercially pure Al. For instance, hardness of over 180 Hv was developed at the edge of samples with 10% nanowires and processed through 10 turns of HPT. This is markedly higher than any other value reported for pure aluminum matrix composites having this level of reinforcement phase. A detailed characterization of the interface structure using high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) revealed a pronounced grain refinement of the Al matrix at the nanoscale and the occurrence of the aluminothermic reduction of the Nb2O5. The latter led to: (i) the formation of Al2O3 nanolayer at the Al/Nb2O5 interface and (ii) the nanosegregation of metallic Nb (with few atomic layers) along grain boundaries and dislocations. The pronounced increase in hardness is attributed to the formation of this interface nanostructure.

An investigation was conducted to study the influence of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and post-ECAP aging at 393 K for 20 h on the microstructures and tensile properties of a supersaturated Al-Zn-Mg alloy together with the effect of pre-ECAP heat treatments on the mechanical properties of the alloy after ECAP and after post-ECAP heat treatments. The results show that during ECAP processing for up to 4 passes for the supersaturated Al alloy there is a simultaneous occurrence of grain refinement, increases in the dislocation density and dynamic aging precipitation forming large numbers of fine spherical well-distributed precipitates which enhance the yield strength but decrease the ductility. During post-ECAP aging, there is a limited dislocation recovery with slight grain growth and the precipitate sizes increase together with the formation of a few larger platelet precipitates and the transformation of G.P. zones to η′ and η′ to η leading to a strength reduction after 4 passes of ECAP. The precipitates in the ECAP-processed alloy with pre-ECAP in the supersaturated state formed through dynamic aging precipitation are higher in their volume fraction, smaller in their size and more homogeneously distributed in the Al matrix than those in the alloy with pre-ECAP in the peak aging state which mainly come from the fragmented η′ existing in the matrix before ECAP. The strengths of the alloy both after ECAP processing and after post-ECAP heat treatments with pre-ECAP in the supersaturation state are higher than with pre-ECAP in the peak aging state.

Metal matrix nanocomposites were fabricated by high-pressure torsion (HPT) using 5% graphene\ud nanoplates as a reinforcement contained within an Al matrix. Powders were mixed and compacted at\ud room temperature and then processed by HPT at three different temperatures of 298, 373 and 473 K.\ud After processing, microstructural observations were undertaken to reveal the distributions of graphene\ud in the matrix, the grain refinement in the aluminium and the nature of the graphene-aluminium interfaces.\ud Tests were performed to measure the microhardness, the tensile stress-strain curves and the\ud electrical conductivity. The results show that processing by HPT is advantageous because it avoids the\ud sintering and high temperature deformation associated with other processing routes.

The influence of Mo alloying on annealing-induced hardening in ultrafine-grained (UFG) Ni is studied. The hardening observed after low temperature annealing is explained by the annihilation of mobile dislocations and a concomitant clustering of the remaining dislocations into low energy configurations. This study reveals that, with increasing Mo concentration, the hardening effect decreases as the Mo solute atoms hinder the annihilation and rearrangement of dislocations. This trend is the opposite to that observed in electrodeposited Ni-Mo alloys where the larger alloying element concentration yields a higher annealing-induced strengthening effect. The difference is attributed to the different deformation mechanisms in UFG and nanocrystalline Ni-Mo alloys.

An investigation was conducted to determine the microstructures and tensile properties of an ultrafine-grained (UFG) Al-Zn-Mg alloy which was processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) for 1 and 4 passes at 423 K followed by heat treatments at 393 K for 5 or 20 h. Prior to ECAP, the Al alloy was in a T6 condition (solid solution treatment and peak aging) such that the precipitates introduced were able to hinder dislocation motions and enhance the grain refinement during ECAP. The results show that the yield strengths are enhanced but the ductilities are reduced after processing by ECAP for 1 and 4 passes but heat treatments at 393 K for up to 20 h are advantageous for improving both the yield strengths and the ductilities of the ECAP-processed alloy. The strength also increases with increasing holding time at 393 K from 5 to 20 h. A post-ECAP heat treatment improves the yield strength for the alloy after 1 pass of ECAP more effectively than after 4 passes. After post-ECAP heat treatments, precipitates containing GP zones, η′, η, T and E are distributed within the Al matrix. Large numbers of uniformly distributed nano-scale fine precipitates of η′, combined with ultra-fine grains and a high density of dislocations, contribute to produce an optimized balance between strength and ductility after ECAP for 1 pass and heat treatment at 393 K for 20 h.

Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins are the most used resins in the wood industry due to high reactivity and low price. However, their reduced stability during storage is a drawback, imposing strict limits in terms of allowable shipping distances and storage times. This instability, manifested by viscosity increase that renders the resin unusable, occurs due to the progress of condensation reactions between the polymeric species present in the liquid medium. In order to achieve a stable resin formulation, dimethylurea (DMeU) was selected for being less reactive than urea. Dimethylurea is shown to co-polymerize with the UF polymer during the acidic synthesis condensation step. However, during storage it behaves like an end group blocker, due to its lower reactivity at basic pH. By adding 1.25% DMeU, it was possible to obtain a formulation that remained with stable viscosity during two-month storage at 40 &deg, C. The reference UF resin remained stable only for eight days in these conditions. Wood particleboards produced with modified resins showed internal bond strengths of about 0.5 N&middot, mm&minus, 2, similar to the fresh reference UF resin, even when the resins were used after the two-month storage period. Formaldehyde content values were below the limit for E1 class, &le, 8 mg/100 g oven dry board (EN 13986).

Two different initial microstructures, martensitic and lamellar, were developed in a Ti-6Al-4V alloy to examine their effect on the high temperature mechanical properties and superplasticity after high-pressure torsion (HPT). Significant grain refinement was achieved in both conditions with grain sizes after HPT processing of ~30 and ~40 nm, respectively. The nanocrystalline alloy in both conditions was subjected to mechanical testing at 923–1073 K using strain rates in the range from 10−3 to 10−1 s−1. The martensitic and lamellar alloys exhibited excellent ductility at these high temperatures including superplastic elongations at 973 K with maximum elongations of 815% and 690%, respectively. The fcc phase was stable at elevated temperatures in the martensitic alloy and the results suggests the fcc phase may contribute to the superior superplastic properties of the martensitic alloy.

An investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of annealing at different temperatures on the tensile properties of ultrafine-grained 316L stainless steel processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT). A “moderate-temperature” annealing at 740 K resulted in reduced strength and elongation due to the annihilation of mobile dislocations. A “high-temperature” annealing at 1000 K yielded a remarkably good combination of yield strength (∼1330 MPa) and elongation to failure (∼43%) which can be attributed to the almost full reversion of α′-martensite formed during HPT into γ-austenite while the grain size remained very fine with a value of about 200 nm.

Commercial purity vanadium with an initial grain size of ~27 μm and a Vickers microhardness of Hv≈85 was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) under a pressure of 6.0 GPa at room temperature through 1/2 to 10 turns. After processing through 10 turns, some samples were immediately subjected to a short-term annealing (15 min) at different temperatures from 773 to 1173 K. The microstructures developed in HPT and in HPT plus post-HPT annealing were characterized by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Processing by HPT for 10 turns gave a refined grain size of ~410 nm and an increased hardness of Hv≈240. Post-HPT annealing demonstrated that the ultrafine grained vanadium has good thermal stability up to at least 873 K. Tensile testing at room temperature gave an ultimate tensile strength of ~920 MPa after 10 turns of HPT with an elongation of ~29%. These results show HPT processing produces superior mechanical properties in vanadium by comparison with processing by ECAP or ECAP plus cryorolling.

Experiments and finite element modelling were used to examine the effect of elastic distortions of the anvils on plastic flow and sample geometry in the compression stage in high-pressure torsion. The results demonstrate that the curved disc surfaces observed consistently in HPT processing originate from elastic deformation of the anvils and the measured variations in the thicknesses of the samples depend upon the imposed pressure. It is shown also that the samples are further deformed during unloading of the anvils and this produces a peak in the strain in the central region of the disc as recorded in several experimental measurements of the local microhardness.

Experiments were conducted to examine the influence of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and post-ECAP annealing on the microstructures of an Al-Zn-Mg alloy. The results show that precipitates, mainly of the η′, η (MgZn2), T (Al20Cu2Mn3) and E (Al18Mg3Cr2) phases, are fragmented to fine spherical precipitates during ECAP processing for 4 and 8 passes. After post-ECAP annealing at 393 and 473 K for 20 h, precipitates with larger sizes lie primarily along the grain boundaries and finer particles are evenly distributed within the grains. Increasing the numbers of ECAP passes from 4 to 8 leads to an increase in the volume fraction of the finer precipitates in the ECAP-processed and annealed alloy. After 4 passes and heat treatment at 473 K, the precipitates are slightly larger compared with the alloy processed under identical conditions and annealed at 393 K. Nevertheless, significant coarsening is evident after processing for 8 passes and increasing the annealing temperature from 393 to 473 K. Different types of precipitates are effective in impeding grain growth during the post-ECAP annealing even at 473 K for 20 h. In addition, η precipitates form within the T and E phases after both ECAP and post-ECAP annealing.

An Al-3%Mg-0.2%Sc alloy was processed by ECAP and HPT at different temperatures. Afterwards, samples subjected to 10 turns of HPT at 300 and 450 K, 8 passes of ECAP at 300 K and 10 passes of ECAP at 600 K were annealed for 1 hour at 523 K and their mechanical properties and microstructure were examined using microhardness measurements and EBSD analysis. In addition, tensile specimens with similar dimensions were machined from the HPT and ECAP processed materials and further tensile tested at 523 K. The results demonstrate that the Al alloy processed by HPT at 450 K exhibits higher microhardness values (~138 Hv) and a smaller average grain size (~0.28 µm) after annealing at 523 K among all SPD processing conditions. Accordingly, the material subjected to HPT at an elevated temperature displays superior superplastic properties such that an elongation of ~1020 % was attained after testing at 523 K at 1.0 × 10-3 s-1. Furthermore, detailed EBSD analysis revealed a significant fraction of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs > 33 %) in the ECAP-processed material after annealing which may be responsible for the inferior superplastic behaviour by comparison with the HPT-processed samples (LAGBs < 13 %) tested at 523 K.

Commercially pure magnesium was processed by ECAP from the as-cast condition and also processed by rolling followed by ECAP. The evolution of the microstructure was tracked in both processing routes and compared. The mechanical behavior was evaluated by compression and tensile tests. The results show that ECAP refines the grain structure of magnesium but leads to heterogeneous grain size distribution. The use of an intermediate step of rolling facilitates grain refinement and leads to homogeneous grain structure. Compression tests were carried out at three different orthogonal directions and the results show the development of anisotropy. Significant twinning activity is observed when the material is compressed perpendicular to the die channels. Tensile tests show that ECAP decreases the yield stress and increases the elongation of the material processed by rolling.

The production of ultrafine-grained metals through severe plastic deformation (SPD) has attracted significant interest in the scientific community due to the improvement in mechanical properties. Among SPD methods, high pressure torsion (HPT) processing is most effective in producing exceptionally small grains in disc-shaped samples subjected to high hydrostatic pressures and concurrent torsional straining. The present paper analyzes the elastic distortions and plastic flow during the application of compressive pressure in samples during HPT. Simulations through finite element method reveal a distortion of the initial shape of the sample and a gradient in sample thickness between the center and the edge due to elastic distortions. Also, it is shown that significant plastic deformation takes place in this stage and this is before any torsional deformation is imposed on the sample.

High-pressure torsion (HPT) is a significant procedure for achieving substantial grain refinement but it may be used also to consolidate metallic particles to form bulk samples or composites where two (or more) different phases are mixed and consolidated. Herein, the consolidation of particles of the magnesium AZ91 alloy and a composite with an AZ91 matrix combined with 1% alumina powder is investigated. The results show that it is possible to fully consolidate this alloy after a large number of turns. As a consequence of the severe plastic deformation, the grain structure is significantly refined, with average grain sizes of 116 and 98 nm in the unreinforced alloy after 20 or 50 HPT turns and 76 nm in the composite after 50 HPT turns, respectively. This grain refinement is associated with a decrease in hardness and an increase in the strain rate sensitivity due to the onset of a grain boundary diffusion–assisted creep mechanism at room temperature. The results are consistent with the theoretical prediction of a breakdown in the Hall–Petch relationship at very small grain sizes.

Experiments and finite element modeling were used to estimate the temperature rise during high-pressure torsion. The results show the temperature rise is dependent upon the material strength, the rotation rate, the sample radius, the heat capacity and the volume of the anvils. A general relationship is derived which predicts the temperature rise in samples of different geometries processed using different anvil sizes. A simplified version of the equation is presented for general use.

An Al-3%Mg-0.2%Sc alloy was solution treated and subjected to 10 turns of high-pressure torsion (HPT). Thereafter, the HPT-processed material was annealed for 1 hour at temperatures ranging from 423 to 773 K and its mechanical properties and microstructural evolution were examined using microhardness measurements and EBSD analysis. The results demonstrate that the Al-Mg-Sc alloy exhibits an average microhardness of ~190 Hv and an average grain size of ~140 nm immediately after HPT processing and also after further annealing at 423 K. Conversely, it is shown that annealing at temperatures above 473 K leads to a substantial decrease in the hardness values as well as a sharp increase in the grain size of the material previously processed by HPT. In addition, detailed EBSD analysis revealed the formation of a bi-modal distribution of grains after annealing at temperatures from 623 to 773 K, and this becomes more uniform with increasing temperatures.

There are limited reports to date on the microstructure and superplasticity of the Mg-Gd alloys after processing by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). Accordingly, the effects of ECAP temperature from 473 K to 723 K (200 °C to 450 °C) and number of passes (2, 4, and 8) on the microstructure and texture of an extruded Mg-5Gd-0.4Zr (GW50) alloy were investigated by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and electron backscattered diffraction. The results show that the optimum ECAP temperature is 623 K (350 °C). Higher temperatures give extensive grain growth and the material has insufficient formability at lower temperatures. The results show also that the alloy exhibits no further grain refinement after four ECAP passes and there is slight grain growth at 8 ECAP passes. Samples were processed by four passes at 623 K (350 °C) and then subjected to shear punch testing. The results confirm the occurrence of superplastic behavior at 723 K (450 °C) with a maximum strain rate sensitivity index of ~0.47 and an activation energy of ~110 kJ mol−1. The results are consistent with the occurrence of flow by grain boundary sliding in the superplastic region.