An apparatus and method are provided for angularly extruding a workpiece through
a die to form blanks and articles having refined grain structure. The die is also
used to form the workpiece to a desired shape, such as a cylinder. The angular
extrusion method can be used in place of some heat treatments, thereby lowering
the cost and time for manufacturing articles. The method is compatible with materials
with high strength-to-weight ratios such as aluminum, titanium, and alloys thereof.
The blanks can be used to form articles having favorable mechanical properties
such as strength, toughness, formability, and resistance to fatigue, corrosion,
and thermal stresses.
