The behavior of AA6063 aluminum alloy processed by expansion equal channel angular extrusion (Ex- ECAE) was investigated for various strain rates (10−1~3.2× 103 s−1). Ex-ECAE experiments were performed at different temperatures and ram velocities. The experimental results indicated that the Ex-ECAE process remarkably increased both the strain rate sensitivity and flow stress of the material. Moreover, the apparent activation volume was significantly reduced for Ex-ECAEd samples in comparison with the annealed billets. The effects of ram velocity and temperature of the Ex-ECAE process on the product mechanical behavior were also studied by means of the response surface method. It was observed that at higher strain rates, other flow mechanisms such as viscous drag could be activated within the material.
