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.