In this study, ultrafine-grained commercial purity AA1050 aluminum was produced by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE).Annealing at 250¢J was able to give a grain size of 0.59£gm. Specimens were compressed along different ECAE axis under a strain rate of 7.1¡Ñ10-4 s-1at room temperature. Compression tests were also performed under 5¡Ñ10-5 s-1, 7.1¡Ñ10-4 s-1 ,and 10-1 s-1 strain rates at 100¢J,150¢J ,and 175¢J. Surface morphology of specimens was observed by optical and scanning electron microscopes to study the generation of shear bands. Texture within shear bands was analyzed by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The present research found that, different compression direction has little effect on the generation of shear bands. Increasing compression temperature and decreasing strain rates have the effect of decreasing the degree of strain localization of shear bands. Shear band deformation is compatible with the uniform deformation occurred outside shear bands. Texture change within shear bands is rotated about an axis perpendicular to the specimen surface, and strengthens the texture component.

Zirconium is used inside nuclear reactors as fuel cladding. The in-reactor performance of zirconium alloys is strongly influenced by the properties that develop during thermo-mechanical processing, such as the microstructure and crystallographic texture. Optimising the combination of properties would enable improved reactor efficiency, longer component lifetimes and reductions in nuclear waste. Achieving the desired texture and microstructure requires a mechanistic understanding of the processes that govern them: deformation and recrystallisation. These mechanisms are influenced by numerous variables including temperature, strain-rate, and the initial state of the material. This work aims to clarify how texture develops as a result of the active deformation mechanisms of slip and twinning and how these mechanisms are influenced by temperature. The alloy chosen for this is Zircaloy-4.This work has shown that texture evolution varies with deformation temperature. The activation of {10-12}<10-11> tensile twinning dramatically alters the texture up to at least 300°C. In the absence of much twinning at 500°C prismatic slip appears to govern the texture evolution up to moderately high strain. Prismatic slip is generally considered the easiest slip system in zirconium. This work highlights its distinct effect upon both texture and microstructure evolution. In particular the extent of grain fragmentation by prismatic slip is shown to depend upon the initial grain orientation. As a result the break-up of the microstructure takes place heterogeneously. This then has implications for the microstructure and texture development during subsequent recrystallisation treatments. Experimental data indicates that the slip anisotropy between <c+a> and prismatic <a> slip increases with temperature. Crystal Plasticity simulations suggest that the variation of both the twin variant selection and the grain fragmentation with temperature are consistent with increasing slip anisotropy, in contrast to previous experimental and modelling studies on high purity zirconium alloys. The character of {10-12}<10-11> tensile twins and the texture change they induce is influenced by temperature, strain path and weakly influenced by the neighbouring orientations. Increasing temperature causes twin fraction variation, thicker twins and an increased frequency of less favourable twin variants. Plane strain compression also causes less favourable variants to activate more often. Looking at the twinned orientations highlights the importance of grain orientation. Poorly orientated grains do still twin. This work shows that in these instances neighbouring interactions can play a role. In summary, this work contributes to the current understanding of deformation in hexagonal close packed metals. It is hoped that this aids the development of improved physically based crystal plasticity models.

Static abnormal grain growth (SAGG) was studied in Al-Mg alloy AA5182 sheet by varying four processing parameters: deformation temperature, strain rate, annealing temperature, and annealing time. SAGG is a secondary recrystallization process related to geometric dynamic recrystallization (GDRX) and requires both deformation at elevated temperature and subsequent static annealing. A minimum temperature is required for both SAGG and GDRX. Recrystallized grains only develop at strains larger than the critical strain for SAGG, [epsilon]SAGG. The size of the recrystallized grains is inversely related to and controlled by the density of SAGG nuclei, which increases as local strain increases. The results of this study suggest that SAGG is controlled by two thermally-activated mechanisms, dynamic recovery and recrystallization. During deformation, dynamic recovery increases as deformation temperature increases or strain rate decreases, increasing the critical strain for SAGG. SAGG is subject to an incubation time that decreases as annealing temperature increases. SAGG can produce grains large enough to reduce yield strength by 20 to 50 percent. The results of this study suggest strategies for avoiding SAGG during hot-metal forming operations by varying processing conditions to increase [epsilon]SAGG. / text

Analysis of quartz c-axis fabrics and microstructures from ductily deformed rocks allows for the examination of the kinematics associated with crustal deformation. This thesis expands on the current knowledge of the kinematic evolution of the Himalayas and Scottish Caledonides, by examining samples from the Main Central Thrust (MCT) (Himalayas) and the Sgurr Beag Thrust (SBT) (Scottish Caledonides).  Metamorphic temperatures (Tm) associated above the MCT are inverted; chapter one attempts to test if deformation temperatures (Td) correlate to Tm, indicating that ductile shearing occurred during peak Tm. In the Scottish Caledonides, Td and Tm increase from foreland to hinterland, potentially indicating a right way up thermal structure;  chapter two presents Td and Tm associated with the region around the SBT. Above the MCT, quartz c-axis fabrics yield Td ranging between 500-650 "C, corresponding to the temperatures of dynamic recrystallization for subgrain rotation (SGR) and grain boundary migration (GBM). Up to 1000m above the MCT, Td and Tm are within error of each other, suggesting that shearing occurred during peak Tm; while further away from the MCT  Tm is significantly hotter than Td, suggesting that shearing continued past Tm. Deformation associated with the upper part of the Moine thrust sheet and the SBT yields quartz c-axis fabrics with Td ranging between 395-583 "C, corresponding to the regional dynamic recrystallization. Tm calculations original to this study yield pressure-temperature constraints of 4.8-5.8 kbar and 586-625 "C. Tm is within error of Td, suggesting that deformation and metamorphism were synchronous. / Master of Science