Equal channel angular extrusion

Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE) is a severe plastic deformation technique used to process materials, typically metals, to enhance their mechanical properties through grain refinement. The method involves forcing a workpiece through a die that has two channels of equal cross-section, which meet at an angle. This configuration allows the material to deform significantly without a change in its cross-sectional area, thus maintaining the volume of the workpiece throughout the process.