Equal channel angular pressing of Al-5 wt% TiB<inf>2</inf> in situ composite

Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) of in situ Al-5 wt% TiB2 composite was successfully carried out at room temperature up to four passes. Large particle free zones of about 50-100 μm size present in as cast condition have been reduced to 20-30 μm by ECA pressing. The initially clustered distribution of TiB2 has become homogeneous after four ECAP passes. A significant grain refinement down to ∼500 nm has been achieved by ECA pressing but the average particulates size remains unchanged at 0.5-0.6 μm. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.