Abstract:
Equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) technique was employed to produce ultrafine grained copperzinc
alloys in the present study. An ultrafine grained alloy with grain size of about 0.2 µm was
successfully produced. Subsequent heat treatments were then applied to the extruded alloy to assess its
structural stability. Results of X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that no significant structural changes
occurred in the metal at annealing temperatures below 300°C. Examination of electron microscopy
confirmed that a very fine grained structure was retained in the annealed alloy. The ultrafine grained
materials generally possessed very high hardness values. Nano-indentation measurements showed that
the hardness of the ultrafine grained alloy was about three times of the normal brasses.
