Effect of asymmetric rolling on texture and anisotropy of AA6016 alloy for automotive applications

Asymmetric rolling (ASR)was applied to aluminium alloy AA6016 with various circumferential velocity ratios between the top and bottom rolls. This gives rise to intense plastic shear strains, and in turn the shear deformation textures through the sheet thickness. The developed texture in asymmetrically rolled materials is weaker in comparison to that produced during conventional rolling. The recrystallization texture in asymmetrically rolled materials is also considerably weaker than that in conventionally rolled one. With proper design of the ASR parameters, the shear deformation textures are still present in recrystallized materials after final heat treatment (SSHT). The presence of the shear texture orientations significantly improves both the average r and Delta r values. Furthermore, with 20% ASR reduction and annealing, an average grain size is approximately 3 times smaller in comparison to that observed in conventionally rolled material.