Enhancing mechanical properties of consolidated nanocrystalline copper powder by means of equal channel angular pressing method

Abstract

Ultrafine grained and nanostructured materials have drawn significant attention due to their unusual mechanical behavior. The purpose of this research was to study the mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of nanocrystalline copper obtained through a bottom-up procedure of nanoparticle consolidation by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). ECAP was approved to be a proper approach to produce comparatively big nanocrystalline consolidates including acceptable mechanical properties. The effects of ECAP pass numbers on consolidation achievement were also assessed. The quite large strains observed in the samples were associated with the bimodal distribution condition of grain sizes. The present work reveals that ECAP consolidation of nanoparticles presents a novel opportunity to investigate the mechanical response of nanostructured metals and alloys moreover it gives a chance to the production of unique kinds of bulk materials for useful purposes.