Simple shear extrusion versus equal channel angular pressing: A comparative study on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an Mg alloy

Two severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques of simple shear extrusion (SSE) and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were employed to process an extruded Mg−6Gd−3Y−1.5Ag (wt%) alloy at 553 K for 1, 2, 4 and 6 passes. The microstructural evolutions were studied by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The initial grain size of 7.5 µm in the extruded alloy was reduced to about 1.3 µm after 6 SPD passes. Discontinuous dynamic recrystallization was suggested to be operative in both SSE and ECAP, with also a potential contribution of continuous dynamic recrystallization at the early stages of deformation. The difference in the shear strain paths of the two SPD techniques caused different progression rate of dynamic recrystallization (DRX), so that the alloys processed by ECAP exhibited higher fractions of recrystallization and high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). It was revealed that crystallographic texture was also significantly influenced by the difference in the strain paths of the two SPD methods, where dissimilar basal plane texture components were obtained. The compression tests, performed along extrusion direction (ED), indicated that the compressive yield stress (CYS) and ultimate compressive strength (UCS) of the alloys after both SEE and ECAP augmented continuously by increasing the number of passes. ECAP-processed alloys had lower values of CYS and UCS compared to their counterparts processed by SSE. This difference in the mechanical responses was attributed to the different configurations of basal planes with respect to the loading direction (ED) of each SPD technique.