Cube texture development in an Al-Mg-Mn alloy sheet worked by continuous cyclic bending

Abstract

Changes in texture after the continuous cyclic bending (CCB) and the subsequent annealing in sheets of an Al-4.7mass%Mg-0.7 mass%Mn alloy have been investigated. The CCB was recently proposed as a straining technique that generates a high strain on the surface and a much lower strain in the central layer of the sheet. The Cube texture in the surface layer is sharpened remarkably during the CCB process and the annealing that follows. The 50 CCB passes lead to a sharper texture in all layers of the sheet. After annealing, marked development of the Cube component is observed in the surface layer. On the other hand, for the 20 pass-CCBent sample, the Cube texture appears only after annealing in a salt bath, while this texture is not observed after annealing both in Ar and in air. The mechanism of texture formation and the effect of processing on the sharpening of Cube texture is discussed based on results obtained from the electron backscatter diffraction pattern (EBSP) analysis and from the in-situ measurement of X-ray peak intensity during heating.