Grain structure and texture development during ECAP of two heat-treatable Al-based alloys

Abstract

The microstructures of a spray-cast Al-7034 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) alloy and an Al-2024 (Al-Cu-Mg) alloy were studied using electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) after processing through equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). The EBSD results demonstrate there is a relatively rapid increase in the fraction of low-angle boundaries during the initial ECAP passes and a subsequent more gradual increase in the fraction of high-angle grain boundaries in subsequent passes. The crystallographic textures and their rotations during ECAP were analysed through EBSD