On strain-induced dissolution of θ' and θ particles in Al-Cu binary alloy during equal channel angular pressing

Research highlights: → θ' particles in Al-Cu binary alloy was found to dissolve more rapidly than θ particles. → The different dissolution behavior of the θ' and θ phase was thermodynamically analysed. → The critical radius and free energy barrier for the strain-induced dissolution were calculated. - Abstract: The deformable θ' particle in Al-Cu binary alloy was found to dissolve more rapidly than the indeformable θ particle due to an additional increasing strain energy accumulated in the deformed θ' plate as well as an increasing interface energy led by the formation of sub-boundary in the θ' plate and fragmentation of the particle during equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). The critical radius and the free energy barrier for the strain-induced dissolution of both θ' and θ particles were calculated.