Experimental and numerical investigation of severe plastic deformation of copper sheets processed by modified-constrained studded pressing

Abstract

In this study, mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution of copper sheets, produced by modified-constrained studded pressing (modified-CSP) as a severe plastic deformation (SPD) method, were investigated by experimental and numerical methods. A finite element model (FEM) was established to analyze distribution of equivalent plastic strain and residual stress for the complete first pass of the process. Local stress concentration was predicted by FEM. Also, copper sheets were deformed by the modified-CSP from the first to the tenth passes. The distribution of residual stress on the surface of the copper sheets was measured at each step of the process. Crack initiation and propagation were investigated by the non-destructive penetration test (PT). The residual stresses were predicted by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern analysis. The residual stresses were determined for the annealed and the first pass samples, +128.2 and +80.4 MPa, respectively. The maximum compression residual stress was -62.5 MPa for the tenth pass sample. The microstructural evolution including grain size and dislocation density of samples during the process were investigated. The average grain size had a significant decrease from ~35 μm to ~76 nm for annealed sample and tenth pass of modified-CSP, respectively.