Effect of rolling and heat treatment on microstructure, texture development, and mechanical anisotropy of AA6xxx aluminum alloys

Abstract

This study investigates the microstructural evolution, crystallographic texture, and recrystallization behavior of AA6063 and AA6082 aluminum alloys subjected to cold rolling, pseudo-hot rolling, and post-rolling annealing. The work compares unidirectional and crossrolling routes in as-cast and as-extruded initial conditions to examine how strain path, deformation level, and starting microstructure affect grain refinement, deformation texture, restoration behavior, and recrystallization texture evolution. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to characterize the microstructure, crystallographic texture, and recrystallization behavior, with recrystallized regions identified using EBSD-based intragranular misorientation criteria. BSE-SEM and EDS were used to characterize the morphology, distribution, and elemental characteristics of second-phase particles. During cold rolling, the texture progressively evolved from weak or inherited initial orientations toward more pronounced FCC rolling-texture components; however, the dominant texture path depended on the rolling route and initial condition. Unidirectional rolling promoted a more continuous development of deformation texture, whereas cross rolling changed the balance and stability of the main texture components at high strain. The as-extruded AA6082 condition showed that the initial extrusion texture and fibrous microstructure continued to affect the rolling response until severe deformation disrupted this inherited orientation framework. During pseudo-hot rolling, texture and microstructure evolved under the combined effects of deformation and dynamic restoration, with different responses observed between AA6063 and AA6082. Post-rolling annealing revealed distinct restoration and recrystallization responses depending on the prior deformation history and annealing condition. These differences highlight the strong coupling between deformation history and subsequent microstructural evolution in AA6xxx alloys.

Date	9 Sept 2026
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Philippe Bocher (Supervisor)