Mechanical Properties in Progressive Mechanically Processed Metallic Materials

Book excerpt: The demands on innovative materials given by the ever-increasing requirements of contemporary industry require the use of high-performance engineering materials. The properties of materials and alloys are a result of their structures, which can primarily be affected by the preparation/production process. However, the production of materials featuring high levels of the required properties without the necessity to use costly alloying elements or time- and money-demanding heat treatment technologies typically used to enhance the mechanical properties of metallic materials (especially specific strength) still remains a challenge. The introduction of thermomechanical treatment represented a breakthrough in grain refinement, consequently leading to significant improvement of the mechanical properties of metallic materials. Contrary to conventional production technologies, the main advantage of such treatment is the possibility to precisely control structural phenomena that affect the final mechanical and utility properties. Thermomechanical treatment can only decrease the grain size to the scale of microns. However, further research devoted to pushing materials’ performance beyond the limits led to the introduction of severe plastic deformation (SPD) methods providing producers with the ability to acquire ultra-fine-grained and nanoscaled metallic materials with superior mechanical properties. SPD methods can be performed with the help of conventional forming equipment; however, many newly designed processes have also been introduced.