Microstructures in the 6060 aluminium alloy after various severe plastic deformation treatments

This paper presents the results concerning the microstructural refinement of the industrial 6060 aluminium alloy processed by severe plastic deformation (SPD). The high level of plastic deformation was achieved using the three methods: hydrostatic extrusion (HE), equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) and extrusion torsion (ET), which differed in the dynamics of the loading, intensity and homogeneity of the plastic strain field. Microstructure analyses were performed before and after SPD deformation using a transmission (TEM) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The refined microstructures were examined qualitatively and quantitatively by the stereological methods and computer image analyses. The microstructure of the industrial 6060 aluminium alloy after deformation was characterized by an average grain size of about 0.4 mu m. The results show that the precipitates strongly affect the degree of refinement and the mechanism of microstructural transformations. During the SPD, the second phase particles break apart and homogenize. The HE method generates the largest increase of the volume fraction of the small primary particles. Moreover, the HE process is most effective in reducing the primary particle size. During HE and ECAE processes the second phase precipitates dissolve partially and change their shape. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.