Structure Development during ECAP and Subsequent Creep of Aluminium

Considerable structural inhomogeneity and anisotropy were found even after eight ECAP passes in high purity aluminium and the creep loading of ECAP material at 473K, 15MPa resulted in scattered fracture times ~ 20-60 hours. The structure revealed by orientation imaging microscopy with different disclination bounds was analysed by stereological methods. The effect of inhomogeneity and grain orientation on the creep fracture time was assessed.