Effect of the deformation temperature on the deformation behavior of a Cu-Cr-Zr alloy

The mechanical properties and deformation behavior of a Cu-Cr-Zr alloy after solution treatment (ST) or aging (ST+AT) and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at elevated temperature were investigated. ECAP at elevated temperature led to strengthening and degradation of plasticity compared with the initial state. The deformation behavior of the alloy after 1 and 2 ECAP passes at 200 °C was almost the same. An increase in ECAP temperature promoted uniform strain and plasticity. An increase in the number of ECAP led to a gradual increase in strength. YS and UTS in ST+AT condition were higher than in ST samples regardless of the ECAP temperature and the number of passes. The maximum values of YS and UTS were obtained after 4 ECAP passes at 400 °C and achieved 525 MPa and 600 MPa in ST and 570 MPa and 650 MPa in ST+AT condition, respectively. The effect of deformation strain and ECAP temperature on work hardening rate and recovery were discussed in terms of the Voce equitation.