Investigation of texture and mechanical properties of copper processed by new route of equal channel angular pressing

The evolution of crystallographic texture and the mechanical properties of copper subjected to severe plastic deformation (SPD) using equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were investigated. Samples were subjected to ECAP under two different processing routes: B60 and BC. As the cross sections of the samples were circular, a new route with a rotation angle of 60° in the same direction between consecutive passes was introduced. The material exhibited texture development similar to the simple shear texture in both routes and the most significant changes in texture strength in both processing routes took place after the second pass. Microstructure of ECAP processed samples were investigated using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Comparison of the EBSD data with optical micrograph of the initial sample confirmed that ECAP process has led to a significant decrease in grain size. Significant increases in hardness and tensile strength were observed after the first pass of ECAP. Variations of tensile strength as a function of the number of passes were related to the dislocation densities and the average boundary spacing.