Disclosed herein is a method of forming a high strength aluminum alloy. The method comprises heating an aluminum material to a solutionizing temperature for a solutionizing time such that the magnesium and zinc are dispersed throughout the extruded aluminum material to form a solutionized aluminum material. The method includes quenching the solutionized aluminum material to form a quenched aluminum material. The method also includes aging the quenched aluminum material to form an aluminum alloy, then subjecting the aluminum alloy to an ECAE process to form a high strength aluminum alloy.

Shear assisted extrusion apparatus, tools, inserts, and/or methods are provided. The apparatuses can include: an extrusion receiving channel operably engaged with a tool to receive extruded material; and one or more openings aligned between the spindle ends, the openings configured to convey fluid to the extruded product. Example tools can include one or more openings aligned between the tool ends. Example methods can include quenching plasticized feed material before exiting the spindle. A spindle assembly and/or tool assembly inserts are also provided that can include a sleeve extending within one or both of the spindle assembly or tool assembly of the apparatus; and openings within the sleeve configured to convey fluid to within one or both of the receiving channel of the spindle assembly or the tool assembly.

An improved system and method of producing nanostructured or ultrafine grained metals is disclosed. In one embodiment, an improved system and method of producing nanostructured materials includes extruding the material through two deformation zones. The first zone consists of an inlet channel for inputting the material and a narrow channel through which the material is extruded, thus reducing its diameter. The second zone is an angular channel through which the compressed reduced diameter material is extruded to increase its diameter back to the original diameter. This eliminates the need for a dual press to provide back pressure to the material for increasing its diameter. Moreover, the total amount of strain applied to the material includes strain applied as a result of extrusion through the narrow channel and strain applied as a result of extrusion through the angular channel. As a result of the additional strain, fewer passes through the system are needed to achieve a desire strength.

A process to fabricate ultra-fine grain metal wire, comprising: inserting a plurality of metal strands into a flexible elastic polyurethane sheath having an accommodating slot for each of the strands of metal to form a sheathed strand assembly; equal channel angular pressing (ECAP pressing) the sheathed strand assembly through an ECAP die having a plurality of die channels corresponding to the plurality of metal strands. The process is designed to improve electric conductance and mechanical properties of elongated metal parts and is especially applicable to optimize the conductance and tensile strength of copper cables, wires, strings, and rods.

A method of forming a high strength copper alloy. The method comprises heating a copper material including from about 2 wt. % to about 20 wt. % manganese by weight of the copper material to a temperature above 400 C., allowing the copper material to cool to a temperature from about 325 C. to about 350 C. to form a cooled copper material, and extruding the cooled copper material with equal channel angular extrusion to form a cooled copper manganese alloy.

A method of forming a high strength aluminum alloy. The method comprises subjecting an aluminum material containing at least one of magnesium, manganese, silicon, copper, and zinc at a concentration of at least 0.1% by weight to an equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) process. The method produces a high strength aluminum alloy having an average grain size from about 0.2 m to about 0.8 m and a yield strength from about 300 MPa to about 650 MPa.

A method of forming a high strength aluminum alloy is disclosed. The method includes solutionizing to a temperature ranging from about 5 C. above a standard solutionizing temperature to about 5 C. below an incipient melting temperature for the aluminum material to form a heated aluminum material, which is then quenched. The aluminum material includes at least one of magnesium and silicon as a secondary component at a concentration of at least 0.2% by weight. The cooled aluminum material is subjected to ECAE processing using one of isothermal conditions and non-isothermal conditions. Isothermal conditions include having a billet and a die at the same temperature from about 80 C. to about 200 C. Non-isothermal conditions include having a billet at a temperature from about 80 C. to about 200 C. and a die at a temperature of at most 100 C. The aluminum material is than aged at a temperature from about 100 C. to about 175 C.

A method for machining a workpiece made of a metallic material, in which the workpiece is machined by ECAP, characterized in that after the machining by ECAP, the workpiece is post-processed by hammering, thus achieving a diameter reduction. As a result, material properties of the material of the workpiece and in particular the strength and the hardness may be significantly increased.

Systems, devices, and methods are described for extruding materials. In certain embodiments, one or more hollow billets are loaded onto an elongate mandrel bar and transported along the mandrel bar to a rotating die. The billets are transported through fluid clamps, which engage the mandrel bar and provide cooling fluid to the mandrel bar tip, and through mandrel grips, which engage the mandrel bar and prevent the mandrel bar from rotating. One or more press-rams advance the billets through a centering insert and into the rotating die. A quench assembly is provided at an extrusion end of the extrusion press to quench the extruded material. A programmable logic controller may be provided to control, at least in part, operations of the extrusion press system.

Systems, devices, and methods are described for extruding materials. In certain embodiments, one or more hollow billets are loaded onto an elongate mandrel bar and transported along the mandrel bar to a rotating die. The billets are transported through fluid clamps, which engage the mandrel bar and provide cooling fluid to the mandrel bar tip, and through mandrel grips, which engage the mandrel bar and prevent the mandrel bar from rotating. One or more press-rams advance the billets through a centering insert and into the rotating die. A quench assembly is provided at an extrusion end of the extrusion press to quench the extruded material. A programmable logic controller may be provided to control, at least in part, operations of the extrusion press system.