Grain structure evolution in a 6061 aluminum alloy during hot torsion

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing, 2006-03, Vol.419 (1), p.105-114
• Main Authors: Van Geertruyden, William H., Misiolek, Wojciech Z., Wang, Paul T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum; Applied sciences; CDRX; Cold working, work hardening; annealing, quenching, tempering, recovery, and recrystallization; textures; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; GDRX; Materials science; Physics; Recrystallization; Torsion; Treatment of materials and its effects on microstructure and properties
• ISSN: 0921-5093; 1873-4936
• DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2005.12.018

The grain structure development of 6061 aluminum alloys deformed at elevated temperatures in torsion is presented here and related to industrial processing scenarios. Samples of a 6061 aluminum alloy representing two variations in chemistry have been studied at different values of effective strain, ɛ eff., strain rate, ε ˙ , and temperature, T. Rapid quenching techniques were implemented to ensure preservation of the deformed microstructure after deformation ceased. It was determined that at effective torsion strains greater than 2.5, a fine, equiaxed grain structure develops and may be related to a type of dynamic recrystallization (DRX). The final grain size increases with increasing deformation temperature.