High entropy alloys (HEA) have been one of the most attractive groups of materials for researchers in the last several years. Since HEAs are potential candidates for many (e.g., refractory, cryogenic, medical) applications, their properties are studied intensively. The most frequent method of HEA synthesis is arc or induction melting. Powder metallurgy is a perspective technique of alloy synthesis and therefore in this work the possibilities of synthesis of HfNbTaTiZr HEA from powders were studied. Blended elemental powders were sintered, hot isostatically pressed, and subsequently swaged using a special technique of swaging where the sample is enveloped by a titanium alloy. This method does not result in a full density alloy due to cracking during swaging. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) of mechanically alloyed powders resulted in a fully dense but brittle specimen. The most promising result was obtained by SPS treatment of gas atomized powder with low oxygen content. The microstructure of HfNbTaTiZr specimen prepared this way can be refined by high pressure torsion deformation resulting in a high hardness of 410 HV10 and very fine microstructure with grain size well below 500 nm.

This study focuses on numerical prediction and experimental investigation of deformation behaviour of a tungsten heavy alloy prepared via powder metallurgy and subsequent cold (20 °C) and warm (900 °C) rotary swaging. Special emphasis was placed on the prediction of the effects of the applied induction heating. As shown by the results, the predicted material behaviour was in good correlation with the real experiment. The differences in the plastic flow during cold and warm swaging imparted differences in structural development and the occurrence of residual stress. Both the swaged pieces exhibited the presence of residual stress in the peripheries of W agglomerates. However, the NiCO matrix of the warm-swaged piece also exhibited the presence of residual stress, and it also featured regions with increased W content. Testing of mechanical properties revealed the ultimate tensile strength of the swaged pieces to be approximately twice as high as of the sintered piece (860 MPa compared to 1650 MPa and 1828 MPa after warm and cold swaging, respectively).

Knowledge of texture and residual stresses in tungsten heavy pseudoalloys is substantial for the microstructure optimization. These characteristics were determined in cold and warm rotary swaged W/NiCo composite with help of neutron diffraction. The results were discussed in view of the observed microstructure and mechanical properties. The investigated bars consisted of tungsten agglomerates (bcc lattice) surrounded by NiCo-based matrix (fcc lattice). No preferential crystallographic orientation was found in the as-sintered bar. A strong texture was formed in both the tungsten agglomerates ( fiber texture parallel to the swaging axis) and in the NiCo-based matrix ( fiber texture) after rotary swaging. Although usually of double-fiber texture, the fiber of the fcc structures was nearly missing in the matrix. Further, the cold-swaged bar exhibited substantially stronger texture for both phases which corresponds to the higher measured ultimate tensile strength. The residual stress differences were employed for characterization of the stress state of the bars. The largest residual stress difference (≈400 MPa) was found at the center of the bar deformed at room temperature. The hoop stresses were non-symmetrical with respect to the swaging axis, which was likely caused by the elliptical cross section of the as-sintered bar.

Both copper and aluminum are widely applicable throughout a variety of industrial and commercial branches, however, joining them in a composite provides the possibility of combining all their advantageous properties in one material. This study investigates uniquely sequenced copper–aluminum clad composite wires, fabricated via rotary swaging technology. The composites were processed at 20 °C and 250 °C to a diameter of 5 mm. Structural observations and the determination of residual stress within both elements of the swaged wires were performed via electron microscopy; the experimental results were correlated with numerical predictions. As shown in the results, both the applied swaging force and temperature affected the plastic flow, which had a direct influence on residual stress and texture development; the Al_sheath elements exhibited ideal rolling textures, whereas the Cu_wires elements featured ideal shear texture orientation. The grains within both the Al_sheath elements of the 5 mm composite wire were refined down to sub-micron size. Structural restoration also had a positive influence on residual stress.

The methods of severe plastic deformation (SPD) have gained attention within the last decades primarily owing to their ability to substantially refine the grains within metallic materials and, therefore, significantly enhance the properties. Among one of the most efficient SPD methods is the equal channel angular pressing (ECAP)-based twist channel angular pressing (TCAP) method, combining channel twist and channel bending within a single die. This unique die affects the processed material with three independent strain paths during a single pass, which supports the development of substructure and efficiently refines the grains. This review is intended to summarize the characteristics of the TCAP method and its main features documented within the last decade, since its development in 2010. The article is supplemented with a brief characterization of other known SPD methods based on the combination of ECAP and twist extrusion (TE) within a single die.