The edge crack, texture evolution, and mechanical properties of Mg-1AL-1Sn-Mn alloy sheets prepared using on-line heating rolling

Abstract

A series of Mg-1Al-1Sn-Mn magnesium alloy sheets were rolled from 3 mm to 1 mm under temperatures of 150 ºC, 200 ºC, and 250 ºC in four rolling passes using on-line heating rolling. The conventional rolling was also performed for comparison. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technologies were utilized to characterize the edge cracks as well as the microstructure of rolled thin sheets. The result revealed that the number of edge cracks decreased dramatically with the increase of rolling temperature. No visible edge cracks were found on the surface of sheets rolled at 250 ºC by on-line heating rolling, while the conventional rolling at the same temperature still resulted in severe edge cracks. The intensity of the basal texture for on-line rolled sheets increased from 4.982 to 9.596 as the rolling temperature increased from 150 ºC to 250 ºC, which was related to the reorientation of new grains and deformation grains remained after rolling. The direction of the basal pole slightly tilted towards the rolling direction (RD), which may be mainly attributed to the activation of a pyramidal slip, as well as the tension imposed on the samples. Moreover, mechanical properties were improved after rolling on the basis of the strong texture and grain refinement. The highest yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and the maximum elongation of the rolled sheets were 148 MPa, 298 MPa, and 14.6% along the RD, respectively.