Investigation of the Superplastic Behavior of 1050 Aluminum Strip Processed by the ECAP-Pull Method

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,Urmia University of Technology, Urmia

2 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Urmia University of Technology, Urmia, Iran

Abstract

This study introduces a novel, energy-efficient severe plastic deformation (SPD) technique termed equal channel angular pulling (ECAP-Pull). This method replaces the conventional pressing action with a tensile force, enabling the continuous processing of long strips. Commercial purity AA1050 aluminum strips were successfully processed for up to eight passes using this method. Quantitative microstructural analysis revealed a remarkable grain refinement, with the average grain size reduced from an initial 77.76 µm to 21.28 µm and 10.72 µm after four and eight passes, respectively, corresponding to an 86% total reduction. This refinement produced a microstructure ideally suited for superplastic forming, dominated by high-angle grain boundaries. Subsequent uniaxial tensile tests demonstrated exceptional superplasticity, with maximum elongations to failure of 340% and 580% achieved at 683 K and a strain rate of 2×10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ for the four-pass and eight-pass samples, respectively. The eight-pass sample also exhibited a lower flow stress, confirming a transition of the dominant deformation mechanism to grain boundary sliding. The ECAP-Pull process represents a significant advancement by overcoming the batch-processing bottleneck of traditional SPD methods, offering a scalable and industrially viable route for producing superplastic sheet materials.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Materials Forming
Volume 13, Issue 2
April 2026
Pages 47-58

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