Experimental and numerical investigation of Al properties fabricated by CGP process

Constrained groove pressing (CGP) process is one of the favorable severe plastic deformation methods to fabricate ultra-fine grain sheet materials. In this paper, commercial pure aluminum sheet was subjected to CGP process using conventional and covered sheet casing (CSC) methods. Three dies with different groove lengths and angles (t=1 mm and theta=45 degrees; t=1.8 mm and theta=45 degrees : t=1 mm and theta=53 degrees) were designed and manufactured. Mechanical properties including strength, elongation to failure and hardness are obtained and discussed. The influences of these two methods and die groove angle on specimen strain behavior and required force value are analyzed by the finite element method in plain strain condition. The results show that the CSC method leads to better hardness distribution, uniform strain dispersal and finer surface quality as compared to conventional method. Moreover, the new method is a good candidate for substituting the conventional CGP process. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.