TEXTURE AND MICRO-HARDNESS EVOLUTION OF SUBMICROGRAINED COPPER

The commercially pure copper (average size 60 pm) and sub-micrometer copper (average size less than I mu m) which was prepared by severe plastic deformation by means of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were selected as experimental materials to study texture and micro-hardness variation with the cold rolling reductions to 30%, 60%, 90%. With the increase of rolling reductions, Micro-hardness of SMG copper has little variation before 30%, with an increase of reduction, micro-hardness of the SMG copper increases; while, micro-hardness of the coarse-grained copper increases monotonously. The intensity of Copper, Brass, S texture in SMG copper is higher than those of the coarse-grained copper. However, the situation of Goss texture is opposite. Different variations of texture results in the different change of the micro-hardness between the coarse-grained copper and the SMG copper during cold rolling.