Journal of Materials Science, Vol.45, No.11, 3023-3029, 2010
Microstructural evolution during extrusion and ECAP of a spray-deposited Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Sc-Zr alloy
The microstructural evolution of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Sc-Zr alloy prepared by spray deposition via extrusion and equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) was investigated in this study. Deformation route A for Al-11.5 wt% Zn-2 wt% Mg-1.5 wt% Cu-0.2 wt% Sc-0.15% Zr super-strength alloy was carried out at 573 K by ECAP. The microstructures of extruded and ECAP samples were investigated by means of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). A large amount of dislocation tangles were formed inside grains during ECAP, which further evolved into sub-boundaries and high angle grain boundaries. Microstructure analyses showed that the grain size was refined to 800 nm after 8 passes ECAP from earlier 3.5 mu m of sprayed and extruded alloy. A few finer MgZn2 and Al-3(Sc,Zr) were dispersed uniformly after ECAP. The textures of 8 passes ECAPed sample were dominated by the strong Cu orientation and relatively weak S orientation.