Abstract
In this paper, AlSi8Cu3 alloy chips were consolidated via HPT at an applied pressure 8 GPa for 10 revolutions at room temperature. The microstructure and hardness of the HPT consolidated chips were investigated and compared with those of the HPT processed solid AlSi8Cu3 alloy samples and cold compacted chip samples. The HPT process successfully resulted in fully densified bulk samples with a higher microhardness due to the finer Al matrix grains and Si particles sizes with more grain boundaries with high angles and more homogeneous deformation than those in the HPT processed solid AlSi8Cu3 alloy samples due to the higher imposed total strain. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.