Tribological and mechanical behavior of AL 2014 aluminum alloy influenced by microstructure and texture evolution after equal channel angular processing

Abstract

In the present study, the impact of microstructure and texture evolution on the wear and mechanical behavior of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) of Al 2014 was examined. The average grain size of Al 2014 decreased dramatically from 101 to 6.5 microns after ECAP passes. The distribution of grain boundaries and crystallographic texture changed due to this grain refinement, significantly improving the wear and mechanical properties of the processed alloy. The enhanced wear resistance seen after ECAP resulted from low-angle boundaries (LABs) preventing fracture propagation, according to the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Additionally, a notable change in texture was observed after ECAP; the initial S-rolling texture of the material, in its as-received condition, transformed into distorted Copper and A-type textures, indicating the complex strain conditions induced by the ECAP process. The ability of ECAP to improve the material's suitability for high-wear resistance applications was further demonstrated by tribological tests, which showed that the ECAP-processed Al 2014 alloy had noticeably lower wear rates than its as-received counterpart. Similarly, the mechanical results show that ECAP significantly improved the hardness and tensile characteristics.