The effect of texture and strain conditions on formability of cross-roll rolled AZ31 alloy

Abstract The effect of texture evolution of AZ31 Mg sheet on cross-roll rolling process has been investigated for the commercial AZ31 Mg sheet. The large ɛ 23 was operated for the cross-roll rolled sample throughout the whole thickness, leading to the homogeneity of the (0 0 0 2) basal texture. After recrystallization annealing at 673 K for 30 min, cross-roll rolled sample showed uniform texture intensity from surface layer to middle layer different from the normal-roll rolled sample. An excellent formability of the cross-rolled specimen was achieved due to the developed homogeneity of the texture and microstructure refinement for the cross-roll rolled specimen. The strain conditions of surface and center layers were discussed in terms of experimental evaluations and three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) for conventional rolling and cross-roll rolling.