Incremental Severe Plastic Deformation Effect on Mechanical and Microstructural Characteristics of AA6063

Abstract

In this experimental study, a commercially available AA 6063 in the form of cold profile extruded and T6 heat treated was processed by Incremental Equal Angular Pressing (I-ECAP) through the BC route. I-ECAP deformation was applied at room temperature with a feeding rate of 0.1 mm/cycle. Afterward, the effect of I-ECAP on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA 6063 was investigated in detail. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibilities to improve properties of semi-products of commercially available aluminum alloy, especially for industrial applications. According to the visible light microscope observations 4 passes of I-ECAP resulted in grain size reduction, which was 46%. The hardness and tensile test results showed that the I-ECAP process significantly increased mechanical properties of the billets. The hardness was 56% higher, and the mechanical strength was 37% higher than measured for the initial state. Moreover, the grain size distribution was more homogenous in the 4 I-ECAP passes processed samples than the initial state. According to these results, the I-ECAP method has potential in industrial usage for manufacturing ultrafine and fine-grain semi- and final products with superior mechanical properties.