The effects of equal channel angular extrusion on the mechanical and electrical properties of alumina dispersion-strengthened copper alloys

Two alloys of alumina dispersion-strengthened copper were subjected to 1-4 passes of equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) by route BC. Microstructures before and after deformation were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, scanning ion microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. Mechanical and electrical properties were evaluated using uniaxial tensile testing and the four point probe method, respectively. The initial microstructure consisted of cylindrical grains, elongated in the extrusion direction and highly textured in a <100>/<111> orientation. Following four ECAE passes, the average major axis of grains in both alloys decreased by over 50%, and the microstructure approached an equiaxed morphology. The texture decreased in intensity and shifted to a <112> orientation after one ECAE pass, followed by a transition to a <101> orientation by the fourth pass. Flow stress of AL-25 and AL-60 increased only 48 MPa (10%) and 24 MPa (5%), respectively, while the conductivity of both alloys remained essentially unchanged. A combination of Hall–Petch strengthening and texture softening are used to explain the observed changes in mechanical behavior.