Optimal Design of Steppers in Single Step High Pressure Torsion (SIHPT) Process as a Novel SPD Method

Single Step High Pressure Torsion (SIHPT) is a newly developed HPT based method for processing of materials which is capable of producing nanostructured long samples with characteristics comparable to conventional HPT process. While, conventional HPT can be applied only on thin samples; it is possible to produce nanostructured parts with about 10 cm long using SIHPT method. However, SIHPT needs some technical improvements in order to be used for production in an industrial scale. One of the key component of SIHPT is the steppers which help different sections of the sample to be twisted. This study investigates the main parameters of steppers including the corner radius, thickness and rotation speed. The experimental results revealed that for the lowest length of sample’s contact inside the steppers (lower contact length) of 5mm; there is considerable slippage in pressures below 1GP. However, the amount of slippage decreases gradually by increasing the magnitude of the applied pressure and the amount of the lower contact length. Moreover, it was found that the rotational speed influences the amount of slippage in low pressures (lower than 1 GPa) but not in high pressures. In addition, according to Finite Element (FE) analysis it was found that 1 mm corner radius of steppers is the optimal value for the SIHPT process.