Microstructure, texture, grain boundaries in recrystallization regions in pure Cu ECAE samples

By means of equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE), pure Cu single crystal samples were processed down to the submicron scale. In some parts of the samples, recrystallization occurs at room temperature. The recrystallization mechanism was analyzed by SEM-EBSP and SEM-ECC techniques. The grain boundary character distribution (GBCD) and orientation distribution function (ODF) of the regions undergoing recrystallization were computed. The results show that the nuclei can be formed at the intersections of two different shear bands, and the microstructures and the grain boundary characters in these locations contribute to growth of recrystallized nuclei. The recrystallized grains had grown according to the Felthamʹs mechanism.