Corrosion and stress corrosion cracking behavior of equal channel angular pressed oxygen-free copper in 3.5% NaCl solution

In the present study, the corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of equal channel angular pressed (ECAPed) oxygen-free copper was examined in 3.5% NaCl solution. The specimen with two ECAP process cycles was found to have the greatest resistance to corrosion and SCC in 3.5% NaCl solution among the specimens studied, while the resistance varied in a complex manner with different number of ECAP process cycles. Micrographic observation and differential scanning calorimeter study suggested that both corrosion and SCC behavior of ECAPed copper was strongly dependent on the microstructural evolution, including the change in grain size and dislocation density, during ECAP process.