Microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of cyclic expansion-extrusion deformed pure copper
Abstract
A recently developed severe plastic deformation technique, cyclic expansion-extrusion (CEE), was applied on a commercial pure copper to investigate the relationship between microstructure, texture and mechanical properties over a wide range of strains. Microstructure and crystallographic texture investigations were performed by optical microscopy, electron back scattering and X-ray diffraction. Significant evolution in grain refinement was achieved down to sub-micron grain size. A considerable texture evolution was also observed within the deformation zone with the extrusion as the decisive step for the final texture. Fiber deformation textures were observed; the < 111 > component was found to be the main texture component while the < 100 > component became significant only at very large strains. The evolution in hardness and tensile properties was studied and a clear relationship between texture evolution, microstructural parameters and mechanical properties was found and discussed.