Academic literature on the topic 'Multi-axial forging'

Multi-axial forging was employed to produce simultaneously ultrafine grain size and weak texture in an Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy. The results indicate that the structure of fine grain size and weak texture could be achieved after two cycles of multi-axial forging, which leads to a substantial mechanical properties improvement. The grain refinement mechanism and texture evolution of Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy during multi-axial forging have been investigated.

Abstract In the last decades many solutions were developed to achieve multi-axial forging. Outstanding among these is the two-way process that can be implemented on the Maxstrain unit of the Gleeble thermophysical simulator. Although the experiments performed on the Gleeble system were well suited for characterize mechanical models, this system had some serious issues, such as the outflow of material from the forging zone. To solve these problems, a new forming tool was designed, in which the total volume of the workpiece is deformed, and the shanks used for fastening can be omitted.

In order to fabricate homogeneous large-scale Ti-5Al-5V-5Mo-3Cr (Ti-5553) alloy bulk with fine and equiaxial β grain, we performed a series of multi-axial α + β field forging with 62 forging cycles on the large-scale Ti-5553 billet by using 12.5 MN high-speed hydraulic press. The β-annealed microstructure was the starting microstructure of the billet. After the 6th forging cycle, β grain deformed dramatically, and the grain-boundary network developed within the irregular β grain. As the forging cycle increased to 44, the volume fraction of the fine and equiaxial β grain that is less than 20 μm, which is caused by dynamic recrystallization, increased gradually. However, the incomplete dynamic recrystallization region within the original β grain could not be eliminated. As the forging cycle further increased, the volume fraction of the fine and equiaxial β grain did not increase. In contrast, the abnormal grain growth of the β phase occurred during 50th~62nd forging cycle. Here, we attribute the formation of the incomplete dynamic recrystallization region and the abnormal grain growth of the β phase to the high deformation rate of the α + β forging. The refining behavior of β grain and the abnormal coursing β grain, which is found during the multi-cycle multi-axial forging of large-scale Ti-5553 alloy billet, are seldom reported in the isothermal compression of small-scale Ti-5553 alloy specimen. The findings of the paper are instructive for improving the sub-transus forging strategy that is used to fabricate the large-scale homogeneity Ti-5553 alloy billet with fine and equiaxial β grain.

This paper presents the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline AA2219 processed by multi axial forging (MAF) at ambient and cryogenic temperatures. The X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy micrographs in the initial microstructure characterization indicate a more effective severe plastic deformation during the cryogenic MAF than the same process conducted at room temperature. MAF at cryogenic temperature results in crystallite size reduction to nanoscales as well as second phase particles breakage to finer particles which are the crucial factors to increasing the mechanical properties of the material. Fractography analysis and tensile tests results show that cryogenic forging does not only increase the mechanical strength and toughness of the alloys significantly, but also improves the ductility of the material in comparison with the conventional forging. In this comparative regard, cryogenic processing provides 44% increase in the tensile strength of the material only after 2 forging cycles when compared to the room temperature process. In addition, further forging process to the next cycles slightly enhances the tensile strength at the expense of ductility due to less ability of the dislocations to accumulate. However, the ductility of the ambient temperature forged samples decreases at a faster rate than that of cryoforged samples.

Abstract Two-way multi-axial forging was performed on a newly designed closed-die forging tool. The tool was operated on an MTS 810 material testing system. The connected computer recorded force and crosshead displacement as a function of time during operation. The sample material of the four-step forging experiment was CuE copper alloy. The plastic deformation was 0.8 per step, thus the rate of cumulative equivalent plastic strain was 3.2 by the end of the process. The speed of movement of the active tools during the whole test was 2 mm/min. Finite element simulation was performed with QForm3D software to investigate the force conditions of the process. The necessary flow curve was determined by Watts-Ford test. The force-displacement curves of the physical simulation were compared with the results of the finite element modeling.

The effect of strain on the microstructure evolution of Fe-32%Ni alloy during multi-axial forging at the temperature of 500°C and a strain rate of 210-2 s-1 was investigated by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) observations. The results show that the austenite grains were greatly refined with increasing cumulative strain, and the microstructure evolution during multi-axial forging can be summarized as such a process that deformation bands crossing each other subdivide the original austenite grain into several sub-grains and then these sub-grains are subdivided into more small ones and gradually angled to new independent grains with their boundaries transformed into large angle boundaries in subsequent compression.

The microstructure evolution taking place in Fe-32%Ni alloy during multi-axial forging was investigated by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The samples were compressed with loading direction changed through 90º from pass to pass at temperature of 650°C and a strain rate of 10-1/s. The results show the microstructure evolution is characterized by continuous grain subdivision process, i.e. the multi-axial forging promotes the development of deformation bands in various direction followed by their frequent intersection in grain interiors with changing of strain path, which results in continuous fragmentation of coarse grains into subgrains. Concurrently the misorientations of subgrain boundaries rise gradually with repetitive deformation followed by their progressive transformation into high angle boundaries. The ultra-fine grains are concluded to evolve by continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX).

The texture of as-cast AZ80 magnesium alloy after multi-axial forging processes was investigated by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results show that, the first cycle induced two groups of texture forming, which had certain angles to the elongated direction and had high strength surface texture in specimen. However, after the second process, dynamic recrystallization occurred and majority of tensile twins developed, which made a small deflection on basal plane, and the orientation of the texture of basal plane changed. It resulted in the texture intensity decrease. The weak texture formed during multi-axial forging process is different from that formed during extrusion, rolling and other processes significantly.This template explains and demonstrates how to prepare your camera-ready paper for Trans Tech Publications. The best is to read these instructions and follow the outline of this text.

Magnesium is the lightest metal that can be used for structural applications. For the reasons of weight saving, there has been an increasing demand for magnesium from the automotive industry. However, poor formability at room temperature, due to a limited number of slip systems available owing to its hexagonal close packed crystal structure, imposes severe limitations on the application of Mg and its alloys in the wrought form. One possibility for improving formability is to form the components superplastically. For this, it is necessary to refine the grain structure. A fine-grained material is also stronger than its coarse grain counterpart because of grain size strengthening. Moreover, fine-grained magnesium alloys have better ductility as well as a low ductile to brittle transition temperature, thus their formability at room temperature could be improved. In addition to grain refinement, the issues pertaining to poor formability or limited ductility of Mg alloys can be addressed by controlling the crystallographic texture. Recently, it has been shown that warm equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) of magnesium led to reduction in average grain size and shear texture formation, by virtue of which subsequent room temperature rolling was possible. Based on the literature, it was also certain that, in order to make magnesium alloys amenable for processing, grain refinement needs to be carried out and the role of shear texture needs to be explored. Since processing at higher temperature would lead to relatively coarser grain size, large strain deformation at lower temperatures is desirable. The present thesis is an attempt to address these issues. The thesis has been divided in to eight chapters. The chapters 1 and 2 are dedicated to introduction and literature review on the subject that provides the foundation and motivation to the present work. Subsequent chapters deal with the research methodology, experimental and simulation results, discussion, summary and conclusion. In the present investigation, two single phase alloys were chosen, the commercially pure magnesium and the magnesium alloy AM30. These materials were subjected to suitable processing techniques, detailed posteriori. A systematic analysis of microstructure and texture for each of the as-processed materials was performed by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) using a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM). Bulk texture measurement by X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and local texture measurement by synchrotron X-rays were also carried out. In addition, dislocation density was measured using X-Ray diffraction line profile analysis (XRDLPA). The experimental textures were validated by using Visco-Plastic Self Consistent (VPSC) simulation. The details of experimental as well simulation techniques used in the present investigation is described in chapter 3. To understand the philosophy of large strain deformation by shear in magnesium and its alloy, free end torsion tests could provide a guide line. Based on the understanding developed from these tests, further processing strategy could be planned. Therefore, a rigorous study of deformation behaviour under torsion was carried out. In chapter 4, the results of free end torsion tests carried out at different temperatures, 250⁰C, 200⁰C and 150⁰C and strain rates, 0.01 rad.s-1, 0.1 rad.s-1, 1 rad.s-1 are presented for both the alloys. In addition to the analysis of stress-strain behaviour, a thorough microstructural characterization including texture analyses pertaining to deformation and dynamic recrystallization was performed. Both pure Mg and the AM30 alloy exhibit similar ductility under the same deformation condition, while the strength of AM30 was more. The strain hardening rate decreased with temperature and increased with strain rate for both the materials. However, the strain hardening rate was always higher in case of the alloy AM30. Large amount of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was observed for both the alloys. The initial texture had an influence on the deformation behaviour under torsion and the resulting final texture. The initial non-axisymmetric texture of pure Mg samples led to nonaxisymmetric deformation producing ear and faces along the axial direction, and the final texture was also non-axisymmetric. An examination of the texture heterogeneity was carried out in one of the pure Mg torsion tested samples by subjecting it to EBSD examination at different locations of the surface along the axial direction. The strain induced on the ear portion was maximum, and in the face was lower. This has been attributed to the orientation of basal planes in the two regions. The axisymmetric initial texture in case of the alloy AM30 led to the formation of axisymmetric texture with no change in the shape of the material. Owing to this simplicity, the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was studied in more detail for this alloy. The mechanism of texture development due to deformation as well as dynamic recrystallization could be tracked at every stage of deformation. A typical shear texture was observed with respect to the strain in each case. Very low fraction of twins was observed for all the cases indicating slip dominated deformation, which was validated by VPSC simulation. It was found that with the increase in strain during torsion, the fraction of dynamically recrystallized grains increased. The recrystallization mechanism was classified as “continuous dynamic recovery and recrystallization” (CDRR) and is characterized by a rotation of the deformed grains by ~30⁰ along c-axis. After developing an understanding of large strain deformation behaviour of pure Mg and the alloy AM30 through torsion tests, the possibility of low temperature severe plastic deformation for both the materials by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was explored. The outcome of this investigation has been presented in chapter 5. At first, ECAE of pure magnesium was conducted at 250⁰C up to 4 passes and then the temperature was reduced by 50⁰C in each subsequent pass. In this way, ECAE could be carried out successfully up to 8th pass with the last pass at room temperature. A grain size ~250 nm and characteristic ECAE texture with the fibres B and C2 were achieved. The AM30 alloy subjected to similar processing schedule as pure Mg, however, could be deformed only up to 6th pass (TECAE=150⁰C) without fracture. An average grain size ~ 420 nm and a texture similar to ECAE processed pure Mg was observed for this alloy. The difference in the deformation behaviour of the two alloys has been explained on the basis of the anisotropy in the stacking fault energy (SFE) in the case of pure Mg. Neutron diffraction was carried out to confirm and validate the microtexture results obtained from the EBSD data, while the local texture measurement by synchrotron radiation was carried out at different locations of the ECAE samples to give a proper account of the heterogeneity in texture. The effect of grain refinement was examined, deconvoluting the effect of shear in improving the strength and ductility using another severe plastic deformation technique, namely multi axial forging (MAF). In this process, the material was plastically deformed by a combination of uniaxial compression and plane strain compression subsequently along all the three axes. The details of this investigation has been presented in chapter 6. By this method, the alloy AM30 could be deformed without fracture up to a minimum temperature of 150⁰C leading to ultra-fine grain size (~400 nm) with very weak texture. A room temperature ductility ~55% was observed for this material. Finally, a comparison of room temperature mechanical properties of the alloy AM30 was carried out for the ECAE and MAF processed conditions having similar grain size in order to observe the effect of texture formed during both the processes. A similar strength and ductility for both the cases was attributed to the orientation obtained from both the ECAE and MAF, which is away from the ideal end orientation for tensile tests. The final outcomes of the thesis has been summarized in chapter 7.

Magnesium is the lightest metal that can be used for structural applications. For the reasons of weight saving, there has been an increasing demand for magnesium from the automotive industry. However, poor formability at room temperature, due to a limited number of slip systems available owing to its hexagonal close packed crystal structure, imposes severe limitations on the application of Mg and its alloys in the wrought form. One possibility for improving formability is to form the components superplastically. For this, it is necessary to refine the grain structure. A fine-grained material is also stronger than its coarse grain counterpart because of grain size strengthening. Moreover, fine-grained magnesium alloys have better ductility as well as a low ductile to brittle transition temperature, thus their formability at room temperature could be improved. In addition to grain refinement, the issues pertaining to poor formability or limited ductility of Mg alloys can be addressed by controlling the crystallographic texture. Recently, it has been shown that warm equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) of magnesium led to reduction in average grain size and shear texture formation, by virtue of which subsequent room temperature rolling was possible. Based on the literature, it was also certain that, in order to make magnesium alloys amenable for processing, grain refinement needs to be carried out and the role of shear texture needs to be explored. Since processing at higher temperature would lead to relatively coarser grain size, large strain deformation at lower temperatures is desirable. The present thesis is an attempt to address these issues. The thesis has been divided in to eight chapters. The chapters 1 and 2 are dedicated to introduction and literature review on the subject that provides the foundation and motivation to the present work. Subsequent chapters deal with the research methodology, experimental and simulation results, discussion, summary and conclusion. In the present investigation, two single phase alloys were chosen, the commercially pure magnesium and the magnesium alloy AM30. These materials were subjected to suitable processing techniques, detailed posteriori. A systematic analysis of microstructure and texture for each of the as-processed materials was performed by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) using a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM). Bulk texture measurement by X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and local texture measurement by synchrotron X-rays were also carried out. In addition, dislocation density was measured using X-Ray diffraction line profile analysis (XRDLPA). The experimental textures were validated by using Visco-Plastic Self Consistent (VPSC) simulation. The details of experimental as well simulation techniques used in the present investigation is described in chapter 3. To understand the philosophy of large strain deformation by shear in magnesium and its alloy, free end torsion tests could provide a guide line. Based on the understanding developed from these tests, further processing strategy could be planned. Therefore, a rigorous study of deformation behaviour under torsion was carried out. In chapter 4, the results of free end torsion tests carried out at different temperatures, 250⁰C, 200⁰C and 150⁰C and strain rates, 0.01 rad.s-1, 0.1 rad.s-1, 1 rad.s-1 are presented for both the alloys. In addition to the analysis of stress-strain behaviour, a thorough microstructural characterization including texture analyses pertaining to deformation and dynamic recrystallization was performed. Both pure Mg and the AM30 alloy exhibit similar ductility under the same deformation condition, while the strength of AM30 was more. The strain hardening rate decreased with temperature and increased with strain rate for both the materials. However, the strain hardening rate was always higher in case of the alloy AM30. Large amount of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was observed for both the alloys. The initial texture had an influence on the deformation behaviour under torsion and the resulting final texture. The initial non-axisymmetric texture of pure Mg samples led to nonaxisymmetric deformation producing ear and faces along the axial direction, and the final texture was also non-axisymmetric. An examination of the texture heterogeneity was carried out in one of the pure Mg torsion tested samples by subjecting it to EBSD examination at different locations of the surface along the axial direction. The strain induced on the ear portion was maximum, and in the face was lower. This has been attributed to the orientation of basal planes in the two regions. The axisymmetric initial texture in case of the alloy AM30 led to the formation of axisymmetric texture with no change in the shape of the material. Owing to this simplicity, the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was studied in more detail for this alloy. The mechanism of texture development due to deformation as well as dynamic recrystallization could be tracked at every stage of deformation. A typical shear texture was observed with respect to the strain in each case. Very low fraction of twins was observed for all the cases indicating slip dominated deformation, which was validated by VPSC simulation. It was found that with the increase in strain during torsion, the fraction of dynamically recrystallized grains increased. The recrystallization mechanism was classified as “continuous dynamic recovery and recrystallization” (CDRR) and is characterized by a rotation of the deformed grains by ~30⁰ along c-axis. After developing an understanding of large strain deformation behaviour of pure Mg and the alloy AM30 through torsion tests, the possibility of low temperature severe plastic deformation for both the materials by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was explored. The outcome of this investigation has been presented in chapter 5. At first, ECAE of pure magnesium was conducted at 250⁰C up to 4 passes and then the temperature was reduced by 50⁰C in each subsequent pass. In this way, ECAE could be carried out successfully up to 8th pass with the last pass at room temperature. A grain size ~250 nm and characteristic ECAE texture with the fibres B and C2 were achieved. The AM30 alloy subjected to similar processing schedule as pure Mg, however, could be deformed only up to 6th pass (TECAE=150⁰C) without fracture. An average grain size ~ 420 nm and a texture similar to ECAE processed pure Mg was observed for this alloy. The difference in the deformation behaviour of the two alloys has been explained on the basis of the anisotropy in the stacking fault energy (SFE) in the case of pure Mg. Neutron diffraction was carried out to confirm and validate the microtexture results obtained from the EBSD data, while the local texture measurement by synchrotron radiation was carried out at different locations of the ECAE samples to give a proper account of the heterogeneity in texture. The effect of grain refinement was examined, deconvoluting the effect of shear in improving the strength and ductility using another severe plastic deformation technique, namely multi axial forging (MAF). In this process, the material was plastically deformed by a combination of uniaxial compression and plane strain compression subsequently along all the three axes. The details of this investigation has been presented in chapter 6. By this method, the alloy AM30 could be deformed without fracture up to a minimum temperature of 150⁰C leading to ultra-fine grain size (~400 nm) with very weak texture. A room temperature ductility ~55% was observed for this material. Finally, a comparison of room temperature mechanical properties of the alloy AM30 was carried out for the ECAE and MAF processed conditions having similar grain size in order to observe the effect of texture formed during both the processes. A similar strength and ductility for both the cases was attributed to the orientation obtained from both the ECAE and MAF, which is away from the ideal end orientation for tensile tests. The final outcomes of the thesis has been summarized in chapter 7.

Lightweight Aluminium -Lithium based alloys have high potential for use in aerospace structural components. However, large anisotropy in mechanical properties restricts the use of these alloys. The alloy AA2195 (Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Ag-Zr) is the third generation Al-Li based alloy which is viewed as the most promising choice for structural aerospace applications among the other Al-Li alloys. However, even in this alloy, the combined effect of crystallographic texture and heterogeneous distribution of precipitates leads to mechanical property anisotropy, which is highly undesirable for the formability of this alloy. This underscores the need for developing suitable processing strategies for overcoming the problem of anisotropy. The present thesis aims at exploring the possibilities to improve the mechanical properties and reduce anisotropy in the material by tailoring texture and microstructure in the alloy AA2195 also by designing newer processing schedules and by suitable alloying addition. For this, in the present investigation, texture and microstructure of an already hot rolled plate of AA2195 was modified by employing various types of cross rolling in the processing schedule vis-à-vis an identical processing schedule involving normal unidirectional rolling and the consequent evolution of mechanical properties was examined. The change in strain path led to the formation of weak texture, and a reduction in the degree of anisotropy from 24 % in the as-received hot rolled material to as low as 5 % in the materials processed through routes involving cross rolling. Further, the differently textured sheets were subjected to incremental forming. It was observed that texture weakening by change in the strain path during rolling led to a significant improvement in the formability of the alloy during incremental sheet forming. In the subsequent chapter, further attempts for weakening the texture though a route involving multi-axial forging (MAF) of the cast material were made and consequent evolution of anisotropy in mechanical properties was evaluated. It has been observed that incorporation of multi-axial forging in the processing schedule has led to further weakening of texture. In the next chapter, the effect of severe plastic deformation by Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) has been examined on the evolution of texture and microstructure and the effect of this process on improvement in mechanical properties has been reported with the detailed explanation of the mechanism. In the next chapter, which aims at suitably modifying the chemistry of the alloy AA2195 by alloying, the effect of scandium (Sc) addition to AA2195 has been studied with special emphasis on the evolution of texture and microstructure during calibre rolling. Addition of Sc has led to enhancement in the degree of grain refinement compared with AA2195 alloy without Sc, when processed using calibre rolling. Finally, it has been concluded that suitable modifications in the processing schedule and the composition modulates the microstructure and texture thereby, improving the mechanical properties

Magnesium alloys have poor formability at room temperature, due to a limited number of slip systems owing to the hexagonal closed packed structure of magnesium. One possibility to increase the formability of magnesium alloys is to refine the grain size. A fine grain magnesium alloy shows high strength and high ductility at room temperature, hence an improved formability. In addition to grain refinement, the formability of Mg alloys can be improved by controlling crystallographic texture. Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processes namely, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and multi-axial forging (MAF) have led to improvement in room temperature mechanical property of magnesium alloys. Further, it has been reported that by adding rare earth elements, room temperature ductility is enhanced to nearly 30%. The increase in property is attributed to crystallographic texture. Many rare earth elements have been added to magnesium alloys and new alloy systems have been developed. Amongst these elements, Ce addition has been shown to enhance the tensile ductility in rolled sheets at room temperature by causing homogeneous deformation. It has been observed that processing of rare-earth containing alloys below 300°C is difficult. Processing at higher temperatures leads to grain growth which ultimately leads to low strength at room temperature. The present thesis is an attempt to combine the effect SPD and rare earth addition, and to examine the overall effect on microstructure and texture, hence on room temperature mechanical properties. In this thesis, Mg-0.2%Ce alloy has been studied with regard to the two SPD processes, namely, ECAP and MAF. The thesis has been divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 is dedicated to introduction and literature review pertaining to different severe plastic deformation processes as applied to different Mg alloys. Chapter 2 includes the details of experimental techniques and characterization procedures, which are commonly employed for the entire work. Chapter 3 addresses the effect of ECAP on the evolution of texture and microstructure in Mg-0.2%Ce alloy. ECAP has been carried out on two different initial microstructure and texture in the starting condition, namely forged and extruded. ECAP has been successfully carried out for the forged billets at 250°C while cracks get developed in the extruded billet when ECAP was done at 250°C. The difference in the deformation behaviour of the two alloys has been explained on the basis of the crystallographic texture of the initial materials. The microstructure of the ECAP materials indicates the occurrence of recrystallization. The recrystallization mechanism is identified as “continuous dynamic recovery and recrystallization” (CDRR) and is characterized by a rotation of the deformed grains by ~30⁰ along c-axis. The yield strengths and ductility of the two ECAP materials have been found quite close. However, there is a difference in the yield strength as well as ductility values when the materials were tested under compression. The extruded billet has the tension compression asymmetry ~1.7 while the forged material has the asymmetry as ~2.2. After ECAP, the yield asymmetry reduces to ~1 for initially extruded billet, while for the initially forged billet the yield asymmetry value reduces to ~1.9. In chapter 4, the evolution of microstructure and texture was examined using another severe plastic deformation technique, namely multi axial forging (MAF). In this process, the material was plastically deformed by plane strain compression subsequently along all three axes. In this case also two different initial microstructures and texture were studied, namely the material in as cast condition and the extruded material. The choice of initial materials in this case was done in order to examine the effect of different initial grain size in addition to different textures. By this method, the alloy Mg-0.2%Ce could be deformed without fracture at a minimum temperature of 350⁰C leading to fine grain size (~3.5 µm) and a weak texture. Grain refinement was more in the initial cast billets compared to the initial extruded billet after processing. The mechanism of grain refinement has been identified as twin assisted dynamic recrystallization (TDRX) and CDRR type. The mechanical properties under tension as well as under compression were also evaluated in the present case. The initially extruded billet has shown low tension compression asymmetry (~1.2) than cast billet (~1.9), after MAF. Chapter 5 addresses the exclusive effect of texture on room temperature tensile properties of the alloy. Different textures were the outcomes of ECAP and MAF processes. In this case, in order to obtain an exact role of texture, a third of deformation mode, rolling, was also introduced. All the processed materials were annealed to obtain similar grain size but different texture. A similar strength and ductility for ECAP and MAF, where the textures were qualitatively very different, was attributed to the fact that texture of both the ECAP and MAF processed materials, was away from the ideal end orientation for tensile tests. In chapter 7, the final outcomes of the thesis have been summarized and scope for the future work has been presented.

Magnesium alloys have poor formability at room temperature, due to a limited number of slip systems owing to the hexagonal closed packed structure of magnesium. One possibility to increase the formability of magnesium alloys is to refine the grain size. A fine grain magnesium alloy shows high strength and high ductility at room temperature, hence an improved formability. In addition to grain refinement, the formability of Mg alloys can be improved by controlling crystallographic texture. Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processes namely, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and multi-axial forging (MAF) have led to improvement in room temperature mechanical property of magnesium alloys. Further, it has been reported that by adding rare earth elements, room temperature ductility is enhanced to nearly 30%. The increase in property is attributed to crystallographic texture. Many rare earth elements have been added to magnesium alloys and new alloy systems have been developed. Amongst these elements, Ce addition has been shown to enhance the tensile ductility in rolled sheets at room temperature by causing homogeneous deformation. It has been observed that processing of rare-earth containing alloys below 300°C is difficult. Processing at higher temperatures leads to grain growth which ultimately leads to low strength at room temperature. The present thesis is an attempt to combine the effect SPD and rare earth addition, and to examine the overall effect on microstructure and texture, hence on room temperature mechanical properties. In this thesis, Mg-0.2%Ce alloy has been studied with regard to the two SPD processes, namely, ECAP and MAF. The thesis has been divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 is dedicated to introduction and literature review pertaining to different severe plastic deformation processes as applied to different Mg alloys. Chapter 2 includes the details of experimental techniques and characterization procedures, which are commonly employed for the entire work. Chapter 3 addresses the effect of ECAP on the evolution of texture and microstructure in Mg-0.2%Ce alloy. ECAP has been carried out on two different initial microstructure and texture in the starting condition, namely forged and extruded. ECAP has been successfully carried out for the forged billets at 250°C while cracks get developed in the extruded billet when ECAP was done at 250°C. The difference in the deformation behaviour of the two alloys has been explained on the basis of the crystallographic texture of the initial materials. The microstructure of the ECAP materials indicates the occurrence of recrystallization. The recrystallization mechanism is identified as “continuous dynamic recovery and recrystallization” (CDRR) and is characterized by a rotation of the deformed grains by ~30⁰ along c-axis. The yield strengths and ductility of the two ECAP materials have been found quite close. However, there is a difference in the yield strength as well as ductility values when the materials were tested under compression. The extruded billet has the tension compression asymmetry ~1.7 while the forged material has the asymmetry as ~2.2. After ECAP, the yield asymmetry reduces to ~1 for initially extruded billet, while for the initially forged billet the yield asymmetry value reduces to ~1.9. In chapter 4, the evolution of microstructure and texture was examined using another severe plastic deformation technique, namely multi axial forging (MAF). In this process, the material was plastically deformed by plane strain compression subsequently along all three axes. In this case also two different initial microstructures and texture were studied, namely the material in as cast condition and the extruded material. The choice of initial materials in this case was done in order to examine the effect of different initial grain size in addition to different textures. By this method, the alloy Mg-0.2%Ce could be deformed without fracture at a minimum temperature of 350⁰C leading to fine grain size (~3.5 µm) and a weak texture. Grain refinement was more in the initial cast billets compared to the initial extruded billet after processing. The mechanism of grain refinement has been identified as twin assisted dynamic recrystallization (TDRX) and CDRR type. The mechanical properties under tension as well as under compression were also evaluated in the present case. The initially extruded billet has shown low tension compression asymmetry (~1.2) than cast billet (~1.9), after MAF. Chapter 5 addresses the exclusive effect of texture on room temperature tensile properties of the alloy. Different textures were the outcomes of ECAP and MAF processes. In this case, in order to obtain an exact role of texture, a third of deformation mode, rolling, was also introduced. All the processed materials were annealed to obtain similar grain size but different texture. A similar strength and ductility for ECAP and MAF, where the textures were qualitatively very different, was attributed to the fact that texture of both the ECAP and MAF processed materials, was away from the ideal end orientation for tensile tests. In chapter 7, the final outcomes of the thesis have been summarized and scope for the future work has been presented.

Titanium alloys subjected to suitable thermomechanical processing (TMP) schedules can exhibit superplasticity. Most studies on superplasticity of titanium alloys are directed to sheet materials while studies on bulk materials are rather limited. Bulk Superplastic materials require lower load for forging aeroengine components. It further facilitates forming using non-conventional processes such as superplastic roll forming (SPRF). Multi axial forging (MAF), is employed here to achieve bulk superplasticity by imparting large strain without any concomitant change in external dimension. A comparison between uniaxial and MAF with respect to strain, strain path, initial microstructure and heat treatment was carried out to ascertain the microstructure refinement in Ti-6Al-4V alloy. A fine-grained structure was obtained after 3 cycles of MAF followed by static recrystallization at 850oC. Grain boundary sliding was observed in identified processing domain along with strain rate sensitivity (SRS) of 0.46 and maximum elongation of 815%. Validation of established ther¬momechanical sequence on a scaled-up work piece exhibited 640% elongation in domain (T = 820oC, ε ̇ = 3 x 10-4/s) which indicated that the established TMP scheme can be used on a reliable and repeatable basis to achieve superplasticity in bulk material.

This paper describes the results of weld model analysis and deep hole-drilling measurements undertaken to evaluate residual stress distributions in austenitic and ferritic steel thick section electron beam welds. The work was undertaken in support of a Rolls-Royce and TWI development programme in the UK, for a Reduced Pressure Electron Beam (RPEB, 0.1 to 1mbar) welding process using a mobile local vacuum seal for the manufacture of thick section pressure vessel and pipe welds for nuclear power plant applications. Measurements were undertaken on representative mock-ups including a 160mm thick SA508-3 forging circumferential seam weld, in both the as-welded and furnace post weld heat treated condition. A 316L stainless steel plate butt weld and a 304L pipe girth weld of 80mm and 36mm thickness respectively were also analysed. There is now considered to be sufficient understanding of the residual stress fields generated by thick Electron Beam (EB) welds, to propose through thickness ‘upper bound’ R6 Level 2 stress profiles for use in defect tolerance assessments. The intention is to incorporate residual stress profiles of this type into the R6 structural integrity assessment procedure, following peer review. This would represent a significant step forward in demonstrating technology readiness for plant applications. It is also anticipated that an ASME Code Case will be drafted and proposed for the RPEB welding process. EB welding is a relatively low heat input process, compared with a multi-pass arc weld, such that the fusion zone and heat affected zone are narrow. The centre of an EB weld is the last region to solidify and cool-down, so typically there is a high degree of restraint to weld metal contraction, thereby generating a highly tri-axial yield magnitude tensile stress state at the mid-thickness location. The stress components acting in the longitudinal welding direction and through-thickness orientation tend to be large in the centre of EB welds of high aspect ratio (depth / width). By contrast, lower stress levels are produced on the surfaces acting transverse to the weld plane compared to conventional multi-pass metal arc welds. The transverse stress component is most likely to be required for the assessment of any postulated EB welding defects. The residual stress field decays rapidly with distance from the EB joint into the adjacent parent metal. Symmetrical stress distributions are typically generated in a 1-pass EB plate weld and stress fields are characteristically sinusoidal of wavelength between 1 and 4 times the section thickness.