Recrystallization of high-purity aluminium during equal channel angular pressing

Aluminium with 5N purity were deformed at room temperature by equal channel angular pressing following Route A up to three passes. The microstructure and the crystallographic texture were investigated by orientation imaging microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction, respectively. The microstructure showed complete recrystallization after the first ECAP pass onwards. The grain size decreased slightly with increasing number of passes. The corresponding texture consisted of an oblique cube component. The oblate grains and the cube texture were rotated anticlockwise about the transverse direction. The inclination of grains with respect to the direction of ECAP was dependent on the distance from the top of the billet and changed from pass to pass. The mechanism of formation of the microstructure and texture is discussed in the light of the physical phenomena involved.