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Project Scope & Theory

ECAP: MATERIALS PROCESSING
Group 5
Michael L. Allen
Pyeboone Arunakul
Dean Frechette
Jon Shepard
            

Project Scope

The Project title is "Temperature Control for equal angular channel pressing (ECAP)". The organization funding our research is the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Munitions Directorate, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The liaison for this project is Dr. Joel W. House. The goal of this project is to design and fabricate a tooling device to process 0.75 in copper billets. The tooling should be capable of processing the copper samples at cryogenic temperatures (-196 ? C), and elevated temperatures (400? C). The optimal result is a decreased grain size in the processed copper billets. As a result of the decreased grain size, the processed sample should have a much greater strength.

Theoretical Background:

There are several ways to manipulate the mechanical properties of metals. Controlling or manipulating these properties allows for wider range of applications for the use of a material. It is known from the Hall-Petch phenomena that a metal is made stronger by reducing the grain size. At room temperature, it is possible to achieve drastic grain size reduction by processing materials by severe plastic deformation. It has also been found that even more structural changes can take place when deforming the material at cryogenic temperatures, i.e. liquid nitrogen. Extreme grain size reduction can be achieved at these conditions. In addition, some materials are better suited for processing at elevated temperatures. Our purpose in the upcoming research is to examine the engineering constraint for fabricating tooling that, can process materials at cryogenic or elevated temperature by the ECAP technique.