Superplastic Deformation of Ultrafine Grained Al Alloy Processed by ECAP and Post-Rolling

Abstract

Superplastic behavior of an ultrafine grained (UFG) 5154 Al alloy processed by ECAP and cold rolling (ECAP+CR sample) was investigated and compared with that of the alloy processed by only ECAP without rolling (ECAP sample) in the strain rate range of 10-4~5×10-1 s-1 at 723 K. Processing of the ECAP+CR sample consisted of ECAP of 4 passes, which was less than that showing the optimum microstructure for high strain rate superplasticity of UFG Al alloys (i.e. 8 passes), with route Bc and subsequent cold rolling (70% thickness reduction). The superplastic elongation was remarkably enhanced by post-rolling. An analysis of the mechanical data revealed that deformation of the ECAP+CR sample was dominated by grain boundary sliding, but dislocation viscous glide was the main deformation mechanism for the ECAP sample. In addition, cavitation in the ECAP+CR sample was insignificant up to ∼300% elongation.