Effect of Precipitation on Development of Recrystallization Texture in a 6061 Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

Three types of specimens, namely solution treated, peak aged and overaged specimens, were prepared from hot-rolled sheets of a commercial 6061 aluminum alloy, so that they contain precipitates different in size and distribution. These specimens were cold rolled to 95% reduction in thickness and then annealed at 300°C. The rolling texture and work hardening rate during cold rolling differed, depending on the state of the precipitate. In particular, no increase in hardness during rolling was observed in the peak aged specimen. The recrystallizations in the overaged and solution treated specimens were completed more rapidly than that in the peak aged specimen. This is interpreted to be due to pinning effect caused by precipitation and difference in driving force of recrystallization. In the overaged specimen, the recrystallization texture revealed a strong {100} ⟨001⟩ orientation, which has the favored orientation relationship with deformed matrix. In the peak aged specimen, the recrystallization texture revealed a {110} ⟨111⟩ orientation. The {100} ⟨001⟩ orientation was also formed, however, the intensity relative to random orientation was much weaker than that observed in the peak aged specimen.