Equal channel angular extrusion: from macromechanics to structure formation

A special deformation technique, equal channel angular extrusion, (ECAE) to control materials structure, texture and physico-mechanical properties is described in detail. The paper presents a continual analysis of stress, strain, shear planes, steady and localized flow, multipass processing which define microstructural effects and are critical for attained results. Links between macromechanics of simple shear and grain refinement are outlined.