• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.274-277
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• 2009

There have been a number of works on manufacturing ultrafine grained steels with average ferrite grain sizes of smaller than a few micrometers to develop beneficial high strength steels. Among microstructures in low carbon steels, lath martensite is known to be useful to produce an ultrafine grained ferrite matrix and finely globular cementite particle. Thus, severe plastic deformation and subsequent annealing at lower temperature of lath martensite would become an effective way to produce ultrafine grained steels. However, most ultrafine grained steels exhibited a total elongation of a few per cent in tensile tests. Such a defect is one of the primary factors restricting the potential applications of ultrafine grained steels. Therefore, the improvement of the strength-elongation balance is required for the application of ultrafine grained structural steels. In this study, the effect of deformation temperatures on microstructure, such as ferrite grain size and the distribution of cementite particles, and mechanical property of lath martensite steels, was investigated. Specimens were fabricated through cold rolling or warm rolling and subsequent annealing.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.126-129
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• 2005

Microstructures and tensile properties of low carbon steels, 5083 Al alloy and Ti-6Al-4V alloy fabricated by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were examined in order to understand their deformation response associated with a formation of an ultrafine grained (UFG) structure. Room temperature tensile properties of UFG low carbon ferrite/pearlite steels and UFG ferrite/martensite dual phase steel were compared for exploring a feasibility enhancing the strain hardening capability of UFG materials. In addition, low temperature and high strain rate superplasticity of the two grades of the UFG 5083 Al alloy, and Ti-6Al-4V alloy were presented. From the analysis of a series of experiments, it was found that UFG materials exhibited the enhanced mechanical properties compared to coarse grained counterparts.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.11 s.242
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• pp.1494-1502
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• 2005

Fatigue life and notch sensitivity of the ultrafine grained pure Ti produced by ECAP was investigated. The ECAPed sample with the true strain of 460$\%$ showed near equiaxed grains with an average size of about 0.3 $\mu$m. After ECAP, the ultimate tensile strength was increased by 60$\%$, while the tensile ductility was decreased by 31$\%$. The ECAPed ultrafine grained pure Ti samples showed high notch sensitivity and significant improvement of high cycle fatigue limit by a factor of 1.67. The ECAPed samples also show high notch sensitivity (K$_{f}$/K$_{t}$ = 0.96). It can be concluded that ECAP is the effective process for achieving high fatigue strength in Ti by increasing its tensile strength through grain refinement

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.474-487
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• 2011

Bars of OFHC Cu with the diameter of 45 mm were processed by equal channel angular pressing up to 16 passes via route $B_c$, and homogeneity of their microstructures and mechanical properties was examined at every four passes which develop the equiaxed ultrafine grains. In general, overall hardness, yield strength and tensile strength increased by 3, 7, and 2 times respectively compared with those of unECAPed sample. Cross-sectional hardness exhibited a concentric distribution. Hardness was the highest at the center of bar and it decreased gradually from center to surface. After 16 passes, overall hardness decreased due to recovery and partial recrystallization. Regardless of the number of passage, yield strength and tensile strength were quite uniform at all positions, but elongation showed some degree of scattering. At 4 passes, coarse and ultrafine grains coexisted at all positions. After 4 passes, uniform equiaxed ultrafine grains were obtained at the center, while uniform elongated ultrafine grains were manifested at the upper half position. At the lower half position, grains were equiaxed but its size were inhomogeneous. It was found that inhomogeneity of grain morphology and grain size distribution at different positions are to be attributed to scattering in elongation but they did not affect strength. The present results reveal the high potential of practical application of equal channel angular pressing on fabrication of large-sized ultrafine grained bars with quite homogeneous mechanical properties.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2004

The large deformation at cryogenic temperature is expected as one of the effective methods to produce large bulk ultrafine grained materials. The effects of annealing temperature, 150∼$300^{\circ}C$, on microstructures and mechanical properties of the sheets received 85% reduction at cryogenic temperature were investigated, in comparison with those at room temperature. Annealing of 5083 Al alloy deformed 85%, at $200^{\circ}C$ for an hour,. resulted in the considerable increase of tensile elongation without the great loss of strength and the occurrence of equiaxed grains less than 300nm in diameter.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 2014

In this study, nano-scale copper powders were reduction treated in a hydrogen atmosphere at the relatively high temperature of $350^{\circ}C$ in order to eliminate surface oxide layers, which are the main obstacles for fabricating a nano/ultrafine grained bulk parts from the nano-scale powders. The changes in composition and microstructure before and after the hydrogen reduction treatment were evaluated by analyzing X-ray diffraction (XRD) line profile patterns using the convolutional multiple whole profile (CMWP) procedure. In order to confirm the result from the XRD line profile analysis, transmitted electron microscope observations were performed on the specimen of the hydrogen reduction treated powders fabricated using a focused ion beam process. A quasi-statically compacted specimen from the nano-scale powders was produced and Vickers micro-hardness was measured to verify the potential of the powders as the basis for a bulk nano/ultrafine grained material. Although the bonding between particles and the growth in size of the particles occurred, crystallites retained their nano-scale size evaluated using the XRD results. The hardness results demonstrate the usefulness of the powders for a nano/ultrafine grained material, once a good consolidation of powders is achieved.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.704-709
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• 2004

The effect of annealing temperature on microstructures and mechanical properties of the 5052 Al sheets rolled 88% reduction at cryogenic temperature was investigated for the annealing temperature of 150 ~ $300^{\circ}C$, in comparison with those rolled at room temperature. The presence of equiaxed grains, whose size is about 200nm in a diameter, was observed in the alloy deformed 88% and annealed $200^{\circ}C$ for an hour. When compared with the deformation at room temperature, the deformation at cryogenic temperature showed the higher strengths and equivalent elongation after annealing at the annealing temperature below $200^{\circ}C$. However, for annealing above $250^{\circ}C$ materials deformed at cryogenic temperature showed the lower strength than those deformed at room temperature. This behavior might be attributed to the higher rate of recrystallization and growth in materials deformed at cryogenic temperature during annealing, due to the lager density of dislocations accumulated during the deformation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2004.08a
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• pp.233-239
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• 2004

The effect of annealing temperature on microstructures and mechanical properties of the sheets received $88\%$ reduction at cryogenic temperature was investigated for the annealing temperature of $150\~300^{\circ}C$, in comparison with those at room temperature. The presence of equiaxed grains, whose size is about 200nm in a diameter, was observed in 5052 Al alloy deformed $88\%$ and annealed $200^{\circ}C$ for an hour. When compared with the deformation at room temperature, the deformation at cryogenic temperature showed the higher strengths and equivalent elongation after annealing at the annealing temperature below $200^{\circ}C$. However, for annealing above $250^{\circ}C$ materials deformed at cryogenic temperature showed the lower strength than those deformed at room temperature. This behavior might be attributed to the higher rate of recrystallization and growth in materials deformed at cryogenic temperature during annealing, due to the lager density of dislocations accumulated during the deformation.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.53-60
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• 2023

A wide range of grain size was achieved in a Fe-Cr-Mn austenitic stainless steel (STS) by cold rolling and reversion annealing. The tensile characteristics of the STS were analyzed in terms of the dependence of strain induced martensitic (SIM) transformation on the grain size. In the ultrafine grain regime, the steel showed a high yield strength over 1 GPa, a discontinuous yielding, and a prolonged yield point elongation followed by considerable strain hardening. By increasing the grain size, the discontinuous yielding diminished and the yield point elongation decreased. The microstructural examination revealed that these tensile characteristics are closely related to the suppression of SIM transformation with decreasing the grain size. Especially, the prolonged yield point elongation of the ultrafine grained STS was found to be associated with development of unidirectional ε martensite bands. Based on the microstructural examination of the deformed microstructures, the rationalization of the grain size dependence of SIM transformation was suggested.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.128-136
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• 2011

Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) with intermediate heat treatment was employed to optimize the strength of Cu-15 wt.%Ag. Changes in microstructure, electrical properties and mechanical properties were studied as a function of pressing methods and heat treatment. ECAPed Cu-15wt.%Ag exhibited ultrafine-grained microstructures with the shape and distribution of Ag-rich lamellae dependent on the processing routes. For route A in which the sample was pressed without rotation between each pass, the initial dendrites of Ag-rich phase were elongated along the shear direction and developed into elongated filaments. For route C in which the sample was rotated by 180 degree after each pass, the morphology of initial dendrites of Ag-rich phase was not much modified and the networked structure remained even after 8 passes of ECAP. For route Bc in which the sample was rotated by 90 degree after each pass, the initial dendrites became finer by fragmentation with no pronounced change of the shape and distribution of Ag-rich lamellae. The strength of Cu-15wt.%Ag ECAPed using route Bc was found to be greater than those ECAPed using route A, suggesting that the substructural strengthening is more effective in strengthening than the interface strengthening.