Stretch formability of Mn-free AZ31 Mg alloy rolled at high temperature (723 K)

Stretch formability of Mn-free AZ31 Mg alloys rolled at 618 and 723 K was investigated at room temperature. The specimen rolled at 723 K showed superior stretch formability to that of the specimen rolled at 618 K. The (0002) plane texture of the specimen rolled at 723 K exhibited a low texture intensity compared with that of the specimen rolled at 618 K. It is suggested that the modification of basal texture by the high temperature rolling contributes to activation of basal slips, resulting in an enhancement of the stretch formability. Besides, it is suggested that coarse grain size of a Mn-free AZ31 alloy seems to enhance a stretch formability, because twins become easily generated during tensile loading.     

Texture weakening and static recrystallization in rolled Mg–2.9Y and Mg–2.9Zn solid solution alloys

The microstructure and texture evolution in the Mg–2.9Y and Mg–2.9Zn solid solution alloys were investigated following rolling and subsequent isothermal annealing. The Mg–2.9Y alloy was hot rolled, and the Mg–2.9Zn alloy was rolled at room temperature in order to evaluate the possibility of attaining texture weakening by the suppression of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and promotion of static recrystallization (SRX). It was found that texture weakening can be attained in Mg even in the absence of Y when there is no DRX, and SRX occurs during annealing. In solid solution, Y suppresses DRX during hot rolling, and retards the kinetics of SRX and grain coarsening in Mg. In the two alloys, the orientation of statically recrystallized grains at bands/twins (TSRX grains) is close to that of double and compression twins, exhibiting a much more evenly distributed and slightly wider orientation than that of basal parent grains and twins. In both Mg–2.9Zn and Mg–2.9Y alloys, a continuous texture weakening is observed with the progress of SRX, which results in a bimodal microstructure consisting of small TSRX grains and larger ones. With the increase in grain size during coarsening, the maximum intensity of basal pole figures rises linearly, with the slope of the lines being nearly identical in the two alloys. This texture strengthening was ascribed to the consumption of small TSRX grains by larger ones.     

Effect of annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of ZK60 magnesium alloy sheets processed by twin-roll cast and differential speed rolling

In this study, ZK60 magnesium strips produced by twin-roll casting were subjected to differential speed rolling with velocity ratios of 1.2 and 1.5 and equal speed rolling. Annealing treatment was applied to the rolled strips to investigate its effect on microstructure, texture and mechanical properties. The results show that compared with the sheet processed by equal speed rolling, the sheets processed by differential speed rolling show more apparent shear bands in the rolled state and a higher fraction of fine grains after annealing. The sheets processed by differential speed rolling show a single-peak basal fiber with a decreased maximum pole intensity compared to a clear double-peak texture of the sheet processed by equal speed rolling, and both are weakened after annealing. The sheets processed by differential speed rolling present significantly higher ductility and slightly lower yield strength than the sheet processed by equal speed rolling. The annealing process contributes to decreases in the strengths and improvement in ductility, which can be attributed to the weakening of basal texture by recrystallization. These results suggest that the annealing is an effective way to enhance the formability of sheets produced by differential speed rolling.     

Promotion of texture weakening in magnesium by alloying and thermomechanical processing: (I) alloying

The recrystallization and texture evolution of four Mg–Zn–Ce sheets with a warm-rolled microstructure obtained through two stages that can be characterised as rough rolling and finish rolling were investigated at different stages of post-rolling annealing. On annealing, the same regions of the microstructure, located by hardness indentations, were examined and tracked by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Furthermore, intragranular misorientation axes (IGMA) analysis was used to investigate the associated deformation mechanisms in the as-deformed material. By combining these two methods, the development of the recrystallization microstructure was investigated and important aspects, such as preferential nucleation sites, correlation between activated deformation mechanism and initial orientation of the recrystallized grains, were studied. The results showed that the Mg–1Zn–1Ce alloy, which had the highest Ce/Zn ratio, showed the weakest as-rolled texture and the most homogenous distribution of shear banding/twinning. The IGMA analysis also showed that in Mg–1Zn–1Ce, other types of dislocations rather than basal 〈a〉 were activated; in particular, prismatic 〈a〉 type was activated during deformation. Therefore, the weakening of recrystallization texture during rolling resulting from the addition of RE elements was linked with a change in dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behaviour. Since the Mg–1Zn–1Ce alloy corresponds to the highest level of Ce in solid solution, the observed texture weakening was possibly due to decreasing grain boundary mobility as a result of solute partitioning of RE elements to dislocations and grain boundaries.     

Enhanced stretch formability of Mn-free AZ31 Mg alloy rolled by cross-roll rolling

Stretch formability of a Mn-free AZ31 Mg alloy rolled by the reverse cross-roll rolling was investigated at room temperature. The specimen rolled by the reverse cross-roll rolling showed superior stretch formability to that of the reference specimen. The (0002) plane texture of the specimen by the revere cross-roll rolling exhibited a low texture intensity and a circular spread of the basal pole from the ND compared with those of the reference specimen. It is suggested that the modification of basal texture by the reverse cross-roll rolling contributes to an activation of basal slip and twinning, resulting in an enhancement of the thickness-direction strain and tensile ductility. Besides, it is suggested that the coarse grain size of a Mn-free AZ31 alloy seems to enhance a stretch formability, because twins become easily generated during loading.     

Effect of the size and dispersion of precipitates formed in hot rolling on recrystallization texture in ferritic stainless steels

In the present paper, the size and dispersion of precipitates in ferritic stainless steels have been varied by applying different hot rolling processes, the effect of which on the evolution of recrystallization textures was investigated. The precipitate characterization was observed and studied by transmission electron microscopy and the texture evolution processes were characterized by X-ray diffraction and electron backscattering diffraction. The results show that low temperature finish rolling can promote the formation of a large number of fine and dense TiC precipitates in hot band. These fine and dense precipitates can be inherited in the final sheet, and are beneficial to facilitating the nucleation of randomly oriented grains by promoting the formation of inhomogeneous cold rolled microstructure, strongly suppressing the growth of recrystallized grains by pinning grain boundary migration, thereby weakening the formation of γ-fiber recrystallization texture and deteriorating the formability of final sheet. By contrast, strong γ-fiber recrystallization texture is developed in the sample with sparsely distributed coarse precipitates. Therefore, the size and dispersion of precipitates formed in hot rolling have significant effects on the nucleation of randomly oriented grains and the growth of recrystallized grains during recrystallization annealing, which play important roles in controlling the γ-fiber recrystallization texture in ferritic stainless steels.     

Enhancement of tensile ductility and stretch formability of magnesium by addition of 0.2 wt%(0.035 at%)Ce

Mg–0.2 wt%(0.035 at.%)Ce alloy was hot-rolled and its mechanical properties were investigated by conducting tensile and Erichsen tests at room temperature and 433 K. The rolled Mg–Ce alloy exhibited greater elongation to failure and higher stretch formability than the rolled pure Mg. This was attributed to a reduction in basal texture intensity and the splitting of the basal plane by the addition of a small amount of Ce (0.2 wt%). Also, the small amount of Ce strongly affected the recrystallization behavior during hot rolling. Microstructural observation revealed that the prismatic slip was activated in the Mg–Ce alloy. The enhancement of the non-basal slip by the addition of Ce was not attributed to a reduction in the c/a ratio. An increase in stacking fault energy due to the addition of Ce is suggested to play a vital role in the activation of the non-basal slip.     

Enhanced stretch formability and mechanical properties of a magnesium alloy processed by cold forging and subsequent annealing

A magnesium alloy AZ21 was multi-directionally forged at room temperature to cumulative strains of ΣΔɛ = 1.5 and then subjected to various annealing treatments. The results showed that the initial grains were gradually subdivided into ultrafine ones by mechanical twins. The annealing temperature had a pronounced effect on the microstructural evolution. At 523 K, a homogeneous structure with a mean grain size of 3.8 μm was obtained, which exhibited remarkable texture weakening compared with the as-annealed specimen, resulting in significantly increase of ductility and stretch formability. Increased and decreased annealing temperature can both lead to a coarsening of grain size. Moreover, the analysis on the recrystallization kinetics during annealing indicated that it could be well described by Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov model and the activation energy for recrystallization was calculated to be about 63.4 kJ/mol.     

Achieving a weak basal texture in a Mg–6Al–3Sn alloy by wave-shaped die rolling

An innovative rolling approach was proposed to achieve weak basal texture in rolled Mg alloy sheets, by laying a wave-shaped die during rolling. It was shown that, Mg–6Al–3Sn (AT63) alloy sheets processed by this wave-shaped die rolling (labeled as WDR) exhibited basal textures with low intensity and tilted basal peak. A substantial basal texture weakening was found to occur during WDR after a single pass. Moreover, the WDRed alloy sheets exhibited basal texture gradients through the center to the surface, reflecting the asymmetric deformation mode of the sheets during rolling. In addition, WDR was effective to refine the grain size of AT63 alloy, from ~ 35 μm to ~ 10.3–11.5 μm. Tensile tests revealed that, the WDRed AT63 sheets presented much enhanced strain hardening ability (n = 0.295) and high elongation to failure (ε_f = 22.5%), as compared with the equivalent AT63 sheet rolled without wave-shaped die.     

Texture and microstructure changes in asymmetrically hot rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets

Asymmetrically hot rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets exhibited a texture gradient, where the intensity of {0002} basal textures decreased from the upper surface through the center to the lower surface. After subsequent annealing, the intensity of {0002} components was reduced significantly throughout the thickness and the grains were refined possibly by discontinuous recrystallization.     

Role of pre-vertical compression in deformation behavior of Mg alloy AZ31B during super-high reduction hot rolling process

Mg alloy AZ31B plates were processed by hot rolling with different thickness reductions per pass and pre-vertical compression followed by super-high reduction hot rolling (PVCR), respectively. Microstructure evolution, rolling formability variation and mechanical responses were investigated. As reduction per pass increased, the number of shear bands deflecting toward rolling direction increased, resulting in easy crack initiation in and around the bands. With increasing reduction per pass up to 80%, twinning and twinning-induced dynamic recrystallization (DRX) dominated the deformation of the edge material at 350?°C, resulting in local recrystallization with coarse grains and further largest edge-crack degree. Pre-induced {10$\overline{1}$2} tensile twins by pre-vertical compression (PVC) increased number density of nucleation sites for dynamic recrystallization during the subsequent severe rolling, which enhanced the dominant role of continuous dynamic recrystallization. Designed PVCR-b was proved to be a relatively effective method to improve rolling formability of rolled Mg alloy AZ31B plates. With this method, mean grain size of AZ31B plate was significantly refined from ～600?mm to ～14.1?mm and more homogeneous grain size distribution along transverse direction (TD) was achieved. In addition, basal texture intensity was greatly weakened. As a result, tensile anisotropy was distinctly decreased and fracture elongation increased dramatically.     

A texture and microstructure analysis of high speed rolling of AZ31 using split Hopkinson pressure bar results

This study used very high strain rate uniaxial compression testing to analyze the microstructure and texture evolution during high speed rolling of as-cast AZ31B alloy. A split Hopkinson pressure bar equipped with induction radiation furnace was used to attain a strain rate of 1200 s^?1 in the temperature range of 25–350 °C and the result was compared with low strain rate (0.01 s^?1) behavior. As well, high speed rolling at 500 m min^?1 was employed to successfully roll AZ31 alloy in one pass with 71 % reduction at 200 °C. During rolling, the mill was suddenly stopped and the sheet was withdrawn from rolling gap and the microstructure and texture evolution was observed. Grain boundary misorientation analysis shows that coincident site lattice boundaries related to contraction twins and secondary twins are more numerous in the samples deformed at high strain rate. With increasing strain for both rolling and compression at 200 °C, the splitting of basal poles was observed, indicating the activation of more contraction twins and secondary twins compared to low strain rate deformation. Also, the recrystallized volume fraction increased significantly with strain rate, probably due to increasing the twin-induced recrystallization fraction. On annealing of the samples compressed at 200 °C, secondary twins and their vicinity were observed to be the preferential sites for nucleation and it seems that rapid recrystallization on secondary twins contributes to the basal texture weakening. Therefore, an increasing number of such twins increase the texture weakening.     

Texture weakening of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet obtained by a combination of bidirectional cyclic bending at low temperature and static recrystallization

In this work, the grain refinement and texture weakening in the sheets of AZ31 magnesium alloy were studied by means of bidirectional cyclic bending for 6 passes at 423 K and subsequent static recrystallization (SRX) on two annealing conditions. The deformed and annealed samples were examined by optical microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction analysis. The results showed that a gradient structure with fine grains in the regions near the surfaces and, in contrast, coarse grains in the middle of the sheet were induced. The texture of the annealed samples was dramatically weakened, and the intensity decreased gradually from the center of the sheet to two surfaces. The different SRX mechanisms significantly affected the different weakening for the basal texture. The cumulative strain energy achieved by twinning played a more important role in the formation of an asymmetric gradient texture intensity distribution after annealing at 523 K for 1000 s. On the contrary, thermal energy dominated a symmetric gradient under annealing at 573 K for 100 s because of the preferential growth of new grains produced by SRX. The ductility is enhanced outstandingly with no remarkable improvement for the strength.     

Fabrication of ZK60 magnesium alloy thin sheets with improved ductility by cold rolling and annealing treatment

Thin ZK60 magnesium alloy sheets with ultrafine-grain structure were successfully fabricated by continuous cold rolling with proper intermediate annealing treatments at 503–523 K for 30 min. Meanwhile, microstructure uniformity and planar texture anisotropy were strikingly improved by rolling deformation and static recrystallization, resulting in continuous improvement in the strength anisotropy. Excellent ductility more than 30% in fracture elongation was achieved after further annealing treatment at a lower temperature of 473 K. This was primarily attributed to the significant weakening of the {0 0 0 2} pole intensity and grain refinement during the process. It is shown that mechanical properties of the final sheets could be closely controlled by the present process.     

Promotion of texture weakening in magnesium by alloying and thermomechanical processing. II: rolling speed

In the first part of this two-part paper, the effect of increasing Ce in solid solution on the recrystallization and texture evolution of four Mg–Zn–Ce sheets was investigated in the as-deformed and annealed state. In this second part, the effect of rolling speed on the microstructure and texture development of these alloys is evaluated. The effect of rolling speed on the recrystallization and texture evolution of four Mg–Zn–Ce sheets was investigated at as-deformed and different stages of annealing. The deformation microstructure was obtained through two stages that can be characterised as rough rolling and finish rolling. To study the effect of finish rolling temperature, one rolling pass with a 65 % reduction in thickness was performed at 300 and 450 °C and at rolling speeds of 15 and 1000 m/min. The results showed that by increasing the rolling speed, more secondary and compression twins were activated, which leads to the formation of more numerous local shear bands and a more uniform microstructure. Annealing secondary twins (S-twins) and their vicinity were observed to be the preferential sites for nucleation, and it seems that recrystallization on S-twins contributes to basal texture weakening. Therefore, an increasing number of such twins increase the texture weakening. In this way, the combination of these RE additions and HSR resulted in a weaker deformed and annealed texture.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of LA51 and LA51–0.5Y alloys with different accumulated strains and rolling temperatures

Mg–5Li–1Al (LA51) and Mg–5Li–1Al–0.5Y (LA51–0.5Y) alloys were smelted and rolled with different accumulated strains (36% and 68%) and rolling temperatures (373 K and 573 K). The microstructure, mechanical properties, fracture morphology and texture of the specimens were investigated. Results show that, due to the PSN (particle stimulate nucleation) mechanism, the addition of 0.5 wt.% Y improves the deformation resistance and weakens the basal texture of LA51 alloy. The effect of Y on UTS (ultimate tensile strength) of as-rolled alloys is more obvious than that of the as-cast alloy. Accumulated strain and rolling temperature could influence the twinning number, slip systems and DRX (dynamic recrystallization), thus affecting the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy. Under the proper combination of the above factors, the as-rolled LA51–0.5Y alloy with an accumulated strain of 68% at 573 K possesses the best comprehensive mechanical properties.     

Texture and microstructure evolution in cold rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy

Microstructure and texture evolution of an AZ31 magnesium alloy during cold roll was investigated. Shear bands formed and fine recrystallized grains appeared in the shear bands at the reduction of 22% during cold roll process. Texture of hot-extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy can be expressed by (0002) texture, while those of cold roll sheet were characterized by (0002) texture with a double-peak distribution, showing that basal texture tilted about ± 10°away from the normal direction toward the rolling direction.     

Texture evolution and probability distribution of Goss orientation in magnetostrictive Fe–Ga alloy sheets

Texture evolution and the distribution of Goss orientation in polycrystalline Fe–Ga alloy were investigated as a series of rolling and subsequent annealing processes were used to develop highly textured rolled sheet. A dramatic change from the random nature of the as-rolled and primary recrystallized texture is observed when careful control of atmosphere and temperature during anneal leads to development of a sharp Goss orientation over up to 98 % of the surface of a sample during secondary recrystallization. In this work, grain boundary properties in local areas surrounding Goss grains are investigated and the evolution of Goss orientation is traced through the different stages of alloy processing using electron backscatter diffraction analysis. To evaluate the evolution of grains with Goss orientation, {011} grains are selected and separated from other texture components at each processing step and statistical analysis used to correlate the structural inheritance chain of Goss-oriented grains. The four processing stages considered are the alloy after hot rolling, the as-rolled alloy (i.e., after subsequent warm and cold rolling), the alloy after an initial anneal during which primary recrystallization occurs, and the alloy after final anneals in which secondary recrystallization with abnormal grain growth occurs. Analysis of Goss grain orientation probability distribution functions after primary and secondary recrystallization convincingly demonstrates that the orientation of the abnormally grown Goss texture that develops during secondary recrystallization is determined by the orientation of Goss components that develop during the primary recrystallization stage of alloy processing.     

Grain morphology and texture evolution of TC21 titanium alloy during annealing with different time

A homogeneous equiaxed‐structure TC21 titanium alloy is hot rolled and annealed for different time ranging from 1 h to 6 h. The grain morphology and texture evolution of α and β phases during annealing are mainly investigated using the electron back‐scattered diffraction characterization. In the early annealing stage, the α grain mainly maintains the elongated morphology generated in the rolling. With increasing annealing time, more and more elongated α grains become equiaxed due to enhanced static recrystallization and boundary splitting. Differently, the β grain exhibits a fully equiaxed morphology all the time due to the sufficient static recrystallization, and get a coarsening with increasing annealing time. The α phase exhibits a (0001) basal texture in the early annealing stage, and then forms a TD‐split texture with increasing annealing time. The β phase exhibits the {001}<110> texture at every annealing time. Based on the analysis about the texture of different grain sizes, the effects of recrystallization nucleation and oriented growth on texture evolution are discussed. It suggests that TD‐split texture in α phase is originated from both the recrystallization nucleation and oriented growth. The formation of {001}<110> texture in β phase is mainly originated from the oriented growth.     

Effect of crystallographic texture on precipitation induced anisotropy in an aluminium magnesium silicon alloy

The effect of crystallographic texture on precipitation induced anisotropy in yield strength of an aluminium magnesium silicon alloy was investigated. Solutionized samples were subjected to unidirectional and multi-step cross rolling to yield distinct crystallographic textures in the Al–Mg–Si alloy. The rolled sheets were then subjected to annealing followed by second solutionizing treatment to provide sheets with similar grain size and dislocation content but distinct texture. Ageing experiments were carried out on these sheets at 443 K for different time intervals. It was observed that the evolution of anisotropy in yield strength of the age hardened alloy depends on texture. The difference in age hardening response brought about by varying initial texture controls the evolution of anisotropy in mechanical properties of the alloy. This was manifested in terms of transition from anisotropic to isotropic mechanical properties in the unidirectionally rolled samples after peak ageing. On the contrary, a transition from isotropic to anisotropic yield behaviour was observed for multi-step cross rolled samples. This is attributed to enhanced precipitation hardening in crystallographically softer orientations compared to crystallographically harder orientations.