Microstructural Evolution and Creep of an Al-0.2wt.%Sc Alloy after Equal-Channel Angular Pressing

Experiments were conducted on an Al-0.2wt.%Sc alloy to evaluate the effect of equalchannel angular pressing (ECAP) on its creep behaviour. ECAP was conducted at room temperature with a die that had an internal angle of 90° between the two parts of the channel. The subsequent extrusion passes were performed by route BC up to 8 ECAP passes. Creep tests in tension were performed on the as-pressed samples at 473 K under an applied stress range between 10 to 50 MPa. For comparison purposes, some creep tests were performed also on the unpressed alloy. Following ECAP and creep testing, samples were prepared for examination by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) unit. The observation of the surface of the ECAPed samples after creep exposure showed the occurrence of mesoscopic shear bands. The EBSD data reveal that these bands are separated by high angle grain boundaries. The creep resistance of an alloy is a little decreased after one ECAP pass. However, successive ECAP pressing lead to a noticeable decrease of the creep properties. Thus, the Al-0.2wt.%Sc alloy processed by 8 ECAP passes exhibited faster creep rate by about two and/or three orders of magnitude than the unpressed alloy when creep testing at 473 K and at the same applied stress. The detrimental effect of ECAP on the creep resistance is probably a consequence of a synergetic effect of mesoscopic sliding of groups of grains along shear bands, more intensive grain boundary sliding and creep cavitation in creep of the ultrafine-grained material.