• 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.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.432-436
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• 2009

A Cu-Fe-P copper alloy was processed by accumulative roll-bonding (ARB) for ultra grain refinement and high strengthening. Two 1mm thick copper sheets, 30 mm wide and 300 mm long, were first degreased and wire-brushed for sound bonding. The sheets were then stacked on top of each other and roll-bonded by about 50% reduction rolling without lubrication at ambient temperature. The bonded sheet was then cut into two pieces of the same dimensions and the same procedure was repeated for the sheets up to eight cycles. Microstructural evolution of the copper alloy with the number of the ARB cycles was investigated by optical microscopy (OM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), and electron back scatter diffraction(EBSD). The grain size decreased gradually with the number of ARB cycles, and was reduced to 290 nm after eight cycles. The boundaries above 60% of ultrafine grains formed exhibited high angle boundaries above 15 degrees. In addition, the average misorientation angle of ultrafine grains was 30 degrees.

• 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.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 2006

Recent development of ultrafine grained (UFG) low carbon steels by using equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and their room temperature tensile properties are reviewed, focusing on the strategies overcoming their inherent mechanical drawbacks. In addition to ferrite grain refinement, when proper post heat treatments are imposed, carbon atom dissolution from pearlitic cementite during ECAP can be utilized for microstructural modification such as uniform distribution of nano-sized cementite particles or microalloying element carbides inside UFG ferrite grains and fabrication of UFG ferrite/martensite dual phase steel. The utilization of nano-sized particles is effective on improving thermal stability of UFG low carbon ferrite/pearlite steel but less effective on improving its tensile properties. By contrast, UFG ferrite/martensite dual phase steel exhibits an excellent combination of ultrahigh strength, large uniform elongation and extensive strain hardenability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.163-167
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• 2003

The large deformation at cryogenic temperature would be one of the effective methods to produce large bulk UFG materials. The effects of annealing temperature 150∼300$^{\circ}C$, on microstructure 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, results in the considerable increase of tensile elongation without the great loss of strength and the occurrence of equiaxed grains less than 300nm in diameter.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.455-460
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• 2004

The deformation and annealing behaviors of a 1050 Al alloy deformed at cryogenic temperature were investigated, focusing on the evolution of microstructures and mechanical properties. Especially, the effects of annealing temperature, $150~300^{\circ}C$, on microstructures and mechanical properties of the sheets received reduction of 88% at cryogenic temperature were investigated. The significant change in mechanical properties with the annealing temperatures of $200~300^{\circ}C$ would be attributed to the variations in the volume fraction of recrystallized grains and coarse equiaxed grains.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.249-252
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• 2010

The ground amorphous powder was consolidated into a dense sintered body with a typical ultrafine $Al_2O_3-GdAlO_3$ eutectic structure by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Sintered material with ultrafine and dense eutectic structure was obtained by an appropriate combination of rapid quenching and SPS at lower temperature and more quickly than by conventional sintering. The $Al_2O_3$-based rare earth eutectic ceramics for solar cell emitters are believed to have a higher efficiency and the $Al_2O_3$ based eutectic ceramics with ultrafine grains will be one of the promising materials showing excellent selective emitter characteristics.

• 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

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2003

The effect of bedding on the microstructure of $Si_3N_4$ added with ultra-fine SiC was investigated. The bedding and the addition of ultra-fine SiC effectively inhibited grain growth of $Si_3N_4$ matrix grain. The microstructures of the specimens sintered with bedding powder consisted of fine-grains as compared with the specimens sintered without bedding powder. In addition, the grain size and the difference of grain size between the specimens sintered with bedding and without bedding was reduced with increasing SiC content. Some ultra-fine SiC particles were trapped in the $Si_3N_4$ grains growed. The number of SiC particles trapped in the $Si_3N_4$ grains increased with increasing the grain growth. When ultra-fine SiC particles were added in the $Si_3N_4$ ceramics, the strength was improved but the toughness was decreased, which was considered to be resulted from the decrease of the grain size.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.15 no.2 s.83
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• pp.105-111
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• 2006

A study was made to investigate the microstructure and the mechanical properties of low-carbon steel, Al-Mg alloy and Ti-6Al-4V alloy each representing bcc, fcc and hcp crystal structures, respectively fabricated by equal-channel angular(ECA) pressing. After a series of ECA pressings was performed, most grains were significantly refined below ${\mu}m$ in diameter with high mis-orientation of grain boundaries irrespective of different crystal structure used. Regarding the strain hardening capability, tensile tests of ultrafine grain (UFG) dual-phase (ferrite/martensite) steel which was different from UFG ferrite-pearlite steel were carried out at ambient temperature, and corresponding mechanical properties were discussed in relation to modified C-J analysis. Low-temperature and/or high strain-rate superplasticity of the UFG Al-Mg alloy and UFG Ti-6Al-4V alloy were also studied. Based on the analysis used in this study, it was concluded that UFG alloys exhibited the enhanced mechanical properties as compared to coarse-grained (CG) counterparts.