Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Plain Low Carbon Steel Processed by Integrated Extrusion and Equal Channel Angular Pressing (Ex-ECAP)

Among different strengthening mechanisms, grain refinement has been accepted as an effective and law cost method. So far, ferrite grains in plain low carbon steels were refined to grain sizes equal or less than one micrometer. Severe plastic deformation is one of the grain refinement methods which was successfully used and implemented in recent years. In the present research, severe plastic deformation was conducted using integrated extrusion equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) on a plain low carbon steel to refine ferrite grains and produce ultra-fine and Nano size grains. Results showed that integrated extrusion and equal channel angular pressing is an effective method that can be used for processing of Nano structured low carbon steels. In the present study a nanostructured low carbon steel was produced with crystallite sizes of 125 nanometer and yield strength tree times higher than initial coarse grained one.