Effect of Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) on Hardness and Microstructure of Pure Aluminum

Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was applied on a pure Aluminum sample and the value of hardness was investigated. It was observed that the hardness of pure aluminum have improved as a result of severe plastic deformation by ECAP. The improvement was significantly higher when compared with other conventional strengthening methods. Bulk ultra-fine grained (UFG) materials can be obtained by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) process. Microstructure reveals that ECA pressing produces ultrafine grains. The improvement in mechanical properties is mainly attributed to both refined microstructure and high density of dislocations that may occur during ECAP. Since this method lead to an increase in hardness and tensile strength even after a single pass through the die, it is concluded that ECAP provides a simple and effective method for improving the mechanical properties of aluminum and its alloys and hence its engineering application can be broadened.