The fabrication of bulk ultrafine-grained zirconium by accumulative roll bonding

This work demonstrates that bulk ultrafine-grained zirconium can be fabricated by accumulative roll bonding. Grain refinement takes place by geometrical thinning and grain subdivision through the formation of geometrically necessary boundaries. This is consistent with the stabilization of a typical rolling texture during processing and with the absence of any recrystallization texture components. The ultrafine-grained zirconium possesses high ultimate tensile strength, good ductility, and a remarkable strain hardening capacity.