Microstructure evolution, texture development, and mechanical properties of hot-rolled 5052 aluminum alloy followed by annealing

Abstract

Aluminum alloys, especially the 5000 series, have drawn the attention of the transportation industry due to their lightweight and consequently reduced fuel consumption. In this regard, one of the major problems of this alloy is its low strength and ductility that can be solved using rolling and post-annealing. Accordingly, the present study concentrates on this issue. Microstructural images showed that the rolling process develops a lot of tangled and trapped dislocations in the sample, which gradually lead to the formation of dislocation bundles and networks. Subsequent annealing can produce a more homogeneous structure with clear grain boundaries and low dislocation density in the inner region of the grains. However, grain refinement efficiency through rolling is retained even after annealing. Initial and rolled Al5052 with the maximum intensity of 2.87 and 6.33 possess the lowest and highest overall texture. Also, post-annealing decreases the texture intensity to 6.33 and 4.87 at 150 and 200 °C, respectively. In this context, deformation texture components strengthen considerably after the rolling process due to the formation of shear bands, and they slightly weaken during heat treatment. Although the initial annealing of the as-received material does not cause discontinuous recrystallization during rolling, it may facilitate the material recovery before rolling. Post-annealing was found to decrease the improved effect of strength by rolling and increase the negative influence of ductility due to the inhibition of dislocation strengthening. The results showed that both dislocation density and the precipitation of Mg atoms are influential for electrical resistivity.

Study on the Flow Behavior of 5052 Aluminum Alloy over a Wide Strain-Rate Range with a Constitutive Model Based on the Arrhenius Model Extension

“…It is necessary to conduct in-depth research and establish suitable constitutive models to achieve well-controlled forming processes and produce high-quality components. AA5052 has been widely used in the manufacturing of automotive and aircraft sheet metal parts and critical components due to its excellent high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and weldability [8][9][10]. And the main source of strain-hardening of AA5052 is the dislocation-dislocation interaction, so AA5052-O is studied in this paper to illustrate the constitutive relationship related to the dislocation evolution over a wide strain-rate range.…”

Study on Wear Resistance Evolution of Cold-Rolled Strip Flatness Meter Surface-Strengthened Layer

“…Friction and wear problems have always been the focus of surface science research [17][18][19]. Roller wear for steel rolling has always been a key problem in the metal-rolling process [20][21][22], and there have been many studies on work-roller wear.…”