Equal channel angular extrusion has been used to analyse refining of grains
in an industrial 5083 aluminium alloy during severe plastic deformation. T
he influence of the total strain as well as of the processing route were st
udied by tensile tests and TEM. The room temperature behaviour and the high
temperature properties suggest that large strains increase the density of
high angle boundaries in the material. The optimal processing route to achi
eve grain refinement appears to be route B for the present investigation. M
ST/4769.