The Cyclic Deformation Behavior of Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) Metals and the Influential Factors

A deeper understanding of the mechanical behavior of ultra-fine (UF) and nanocrystalline (NC) grained metals is necessary with the growing interest in using UF and NC grained metals for structural applications. The cyclic deformation response and behavior of UF and NC grained metals is one aspect that has been gaining momentum as a major research topic for the past ten years. Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) materials are often in the spotlight for cyclic deformation studies as they are usually in the form of bulk work pieces and have UF and NC grains. Some well known techniques in the category of SPD processing are High Pressure Torsion (HPT), Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP), and Accumulative Roll-Bonding (ARB). In this report, the literature on the cyclic deformation response and behavior of SPDed metals will be reviewed. The cyclic response of such materials is found to range from cyclic hardening to cyclic softening depending on various factors. Specifically, for SPDed UF grained metals, their behavior has often been associated with the observation of grain coarsening during cycling. Consequently, the many factors that affect the cyclic deformation response of SPDed metals can be summarized into three major aspects: (1) the microstructure stability; (2) the limitation of the cyclic lifespan; and lastly (3) the imposed plastic strain amplitude.