Grain-boundary structure of oxygen-free high-conductivity (OFHC) copper subjected to severe plastic deformation and annealing

The influence of grain-boundary structure on grain growth in copper subjected to severe plastic deformation has been studied using orientation imaging microscopy. The investigation was carried out on oxygen-free high-conductivity (OFHC) copper which was wire drawn to a true strain of about 4 and processed by equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) to 4 and 8 passes via “route Bc” (where the billet is rotated by 90° in the same direction between consecutive passes). The grain-boundary character distribution (GBCD) of the as-drawn wire was similar to that of ECAE-processed specimens, and both materials possessed a higher fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) than special coincidence-site lattice (CSL) boundaries. While the high fraction of HAGBs was retained in the annealed wires, they were transformed to CSL boundaries in the annealed ECAE-processed materials. In spite of an initially smaller grain size, when annealed at 750 °C for 1 h, the grain size of the 4-pass ECAE-processed material was larger than that of the wire drawn to a similar strain. This difference was attributed to a high density of high-mobility 35–50° 〈0 0 1〉 boundaries in the 4-pass ECAE materials. On the other hand, the presence of 50–60° 〈1 1 1 〉 pinning boundaries in the annealed 8-pass material accounted for the smaller grain size after recrystallization.