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Formability of steels subjected to cold ECAE process

A. Yanagida a, , K. Joko b , A. Azushima a
a
b

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, Japan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, Japan

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t

Keywords:

Extensive researches have been conducted on mechanical property and microstructure after

Cold equal channel angular

severe plastic deformation (SPD) processes, i.e. ECAE, ARB, HPT and so on. The study on

extrusion

mechanical properties, such as the tensile strength, the hardness and the fatigue were

Micro screw

conducted, however the formability of materials after SPD processes was little studied.

Formability

Therefore we investigated the formability of steels subjected to different cold forming

Steel

processes, the one is the ECAE process and the other is the cold rolling and followed swaging. The evaluation of formability was judged by forming micro screws (M1.6), whether
it was possible or not. Four different materials, Ultra low Carbon, 0.15%C, 0.25%C steel
and SWCH18A (0.16%C with spheroidizing treatment) were used. The formability test was
conducted to product micro screws by a cold header that was commonly used in factory
production. The formability was checked with eyes to examine crack or not at the rst
pre-forming and second recess forming. The materials subjected to ECAE process and asreceived were able to manufacture the micro screw except ECAE processed 0.25%C steel.
On the contrary no materials subjected to the cold rolling followed by swaging were able
to manufacture the micro screw. It was found that formability of steel subjected to ECAE
process was little decreased from as-received.
2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1.

Introduction

In order to obtain the high strength material, severe plastic deformation (SPD) processes are conducted. The extensive
researches have been conducted on mechanical property and
microstructure after SPD, such as, equal channel angular
extrusion (ECAE), accumulative roll-bonding (ARB) and high
pressure torsion (HPT). The studies on mechanical properties
of ultrane grained materials, tensile strength, hardness, ductility and fatigue were conducted (Song et al., 2006). However
the formability or workbility of materials after SPD processes
was little studied. They are limited on fundamental researches
as follow, the development of microstructure (Sun et al.,
2004; Li et al., 2006a,b) and texture heterogeneity (Li et al.,

2006a,b), the ow stress anisotropy and Bauschinger effect

via various routes (Haouaoui et al., 2006) and upsetting forging test which were compressed up to the occurrence of
fracture ECAE processed via route A (Aoki and Azushima,
2007).
We study the formability of the cold ECAE processed different carbon steel specimens in practical condition whether
micro screws can be possibly produced or not. The route C
is selected to the formability test. Because the route C returns
material elements to their original shape after an even number
of successive extrusions. It results in relatively low anisotropy,
although some researches show that a qualitatively sheartype texture is observed for even number of passes (Li et al.,
2006a).

Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 45 339 3835; fax: +81 45 339 3835.
E-mail addresses: yanagida@ynu.ac.jp (A. Yanagida), d06gb134@ynu.ac.jp (K. Joko), azu@ynu.ac.jp (A. Azushima).
0924-0136/$ see front matter 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.11.199

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Table 1 Chemical composition of materials (wt%)

Material

Si

Mn

Al

Ti

ULC
S15C
S25C
SWCH18A

0.0015
0.15
0.25
0.16

0.009
0.06
0.18
0.01

0.09
0.32
0.49
0.69

0.005
0.014
0.019
0.014

0.004
0.016
0.028
0.001

0.004

0.041

0.0027

2.

Experiments (sample preparation)

2.1.

ECAE process condition

Four different materials, ultra low carbon (ULC), 0.15%C,

0.25%C steel and SWCH18A (0.16%C with spheroidizing treatment) were used. The chemical composition is shown in
Table 1. ULC was received in a plate, the other steels were
received in a bar after hot rolling. The optical microstructures
of the specimens in as-received are shown in Fig. 1. The initial
microstructure of ULC steel consists of coarse ferrite (grain
size 150 m), S15C and S25C consist of ferrite and pearlite.
On contrary SWCH18A consists of ferrite that is elongated
in rolling direction and spheroidized cementite. The specimen was machined in rolling direction to the dimension was
7 mm2 30 mm length.
For the sequence of side extrusion, the specimen is
extruded with a rotation of 180 at each pass, as shown in
Fig. 2. The side extrusion process corresponds to route C. The
ECAE is carried out by constant ram speed 2 mm/min with
polytetrauoroethyrene (PTFE) spray lm as a lubricant. In
these experiments, a constant of 150 MPa is applied to the
specimens (Azushima and Aoki, 2002). The die angle  is 90
and the outer arc
results in 0 , because of back pressure
is applied to the specimen. For the present experiments the
strain per pass is calculated to be 1.15 (Iwahashi et al., 1996).
The specimens are side-extruded to 4 passes.
For the tensile test, the tensile specimens as shown in Fig. 3,
are machined from the side-extruded specimen after one, two
and four passes. The tensile tests in the testing machine of the
Shimadzu autograph AG-50 kNE are carried out at a constant
crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min.
Route C is applied to eliminate anisotropy. But only ULC
was extruded route Bc with a rotation of 90 at each pass.

Fig. 2 Schematic of repetitive ECAE process and

presentation of processing routes.

Fig. 3 Shape and dimensions of tensile test specimen.

Routes Bc and C are similar with returning material elements

to their original shape after 4n, 2n passes for route Bc and C,
respectively.

2.2.

Formability test

The specimens subjected to ECAE process and as-received are

electric discharge machined to 1.3 mm diameter as a preparation for forming micro screws.

Fig. 1 Optical micrograph of as-received microstructure of carbon steels, (a) ULC, (b) S15C, (c) S25C and (d) SWCH18A.

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monly used in factory production. The manufacturing of micro

screws are processed by two steps as shown in Fig. 4. The
formability is checked with eyes exiting crack or not at the
rst pre-forming and the second recess forming.

3.

Results and discussion

3.1.

Tensile properties

Fig. 4 Schematic of screw manufacturing process.

For comparison, a conventional cold forming process are

conducted in ULC and SWCH18A, as both materials have
a good formability. 7 mm2 bar with corner is rounded by
1 mm and 30 mm length is rolled in room temperature to
2.2 mm diameter wire by 24 passes without inter annealing. The wire is decreased to 1.35 mm diameter by the
swaging process. The wire was nally drawn to 1.3 mm
diameter. The cumulative strain for the conventional cold
forming (rolling/swaging) is calculated by the reduction of
cross-sectional area, approximately. The cumulative strain
subjected to cold rolling/swaging is almost 3.6. The tensile
test is conducted for the drawn wire by direct chucking. The
distance between the chuck is assumed to be a gage length.
The formability test is conducted to product micro screws by
the cold header made by Nakashimada Co. Ltd. that is com-

Fig. 5 shows nominal stressstrain curves of the carbon

steels after and before ECAE process. The curves of ULC and
SWCH18A after rolling/swaging are also included in Fig. 5(a
and d), however the elongation cannot be compared directly,
because the ratio of width (diameter) and gage length much
differs each other. The as-received materials exhibit a strain
hardening with large elongation except for SWCH18A, while
the materials after ECAE do not exhibit work hardening. The
yielding stress increases signicantly after 1 ECAE pass and
increases with increasing number of passes, however, the
increasing rate decreases with increasing carbon contents
in this experimental conditions. The cumulative strain after
4 passes ECAE and after rolling/swaging is 4.6, 3.6, respectively. The tensile strengths of ECAE processed are compared
with rolling/swaging in Fig. 6, as a function of the equivalent
strain applied to the samples. An equivalent strain of 0 corresponds to the as-received specimen. The tensile strength
after ECAE is extremely higher than after rolling/swaging in

Fig. 5 Nominal stressstrain curves of plane carbon steels after and before ECAE.

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Fig. 6 Variation of tensile strength after severe plastic

deformation as a function of the cumulative equivalent
strain.

case of ULC steel, opposite phenomena is indicated in the

case of SWCH18A from Fig. 6. This reversal is caused by
different strengthening mechanisms that are increase of dislocation that related the cell size and a grain renement
(Langford and Cohen, 1969). Pure materials like the ULC steel
is mainly strengthening by grain renement. ECAE is effective process on grain renement compared to rolling/swaging.
The inclusion such as spheroidized cementite acts as source
for multiplication of dislocation during plastic deformation.
Above the condition, in which can applied to SWCH18A, the
rolling/swaging is effective in multiplication of dislocation
compared to the ECAE.

3.2.

Formability

A summary of formability tests that are conducted to produce micro screws by the cold header is presented in Table 2.
The materials subjected to ECAE process and as-received are
able to manufacture the micro screw except ECAE processed
0.25%C steel. On the contrary no materials subjected to cold
rolling/swaging are able to manufacture the micro screw. It
is found that the formability of the carbon steel subjected
to ECAE process is little decreased from as-received. That
means shear strain do not reduce formability compared to
normal strain, and this evidence is corresponding with upsetting results of 0.5% carbon steel (Aoki and Azushima, 2007).

Fig. 7 Sample of general view of micro screw after

pre-forming and recess forming.

However, further quantitative approach is needed to discuss

ductile fracture including an additivity of shear strain (Sato
and Oyane, 1973) by means of the ECAE route. The microstructure observation by TEM is also required.
The representative samples of micro screw are shown in
Fig. 7. The successfully manufactured sample is as shown in
Fig. 7(a). All of failure samples are cracked at the rst preforming. The crack is observed much in ULC than SWCH18A
after rolling/swaging, however the total elongation is higher

Table 2 Summary of formability tests

As-received
2 passes
4 passes
Rolling + swaging

ULC

S15C

S25C

SWCH18A













, Possible to product; , impossible to product.

Fig. 8 Cross-section of micro screw of S15C, (a) as-received and (b) after 4 passes.

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for ULC which indicated in Fig. 5(a and d). This inversion
phenomenon is supposed to be the difference of texture
development caused from initial structure such as grain size,
second phase and inclusion.
The roll threading is processed for only the S15C steel. Fig. 8
shows cross-section of the completed micro screw. It is found
that the materials ll in die and the materials ow is observed
without crack at a recess (head of the screw).

4.

Conclusion

The formability of cold ECAE processed carbon steels was

investigated by producing micro screw, and was compared to
the cold conventional forming (rolling/swaging). It was found
that the formability of steel subjected to ECAE process was little decreased from as-received than cold rolling/swaging. That
means shear strain did not reduce formability compared to
normal strain.
Further quantitative approach is needed to discuss ductile fracture including an additivity of shear strain by means
of ECAE route and combination of subsequent forming. The
microstructure observation by TEM is also required.

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