Enhanced ductility in an Al–Mg2Si in situ composite processed by ECAP using a modified BC route

A modified BC route, noted as BC-m, was designed and employed to process an Al–Mg2Si composite in an effort to improve the ductility of the composite. The modification was implemented to improve the effectiveness of particle redistribution of the conventional BC route while maintaining its high grain refinement efficiency. The experimental results demonstrated that route BC-m was strongly effective in redistributing particles while maintaining a comparable microstructural refinement efficiency relative to route BC, which led to an increase in ultimate tensile strength and much higher ductility in the composite. Additionally, the use of route BC resulted in higher yield strength because of its stronger work-hardening effect compared to route BC-m.