Surface grain structure evolution in hot rolling of 6061 aluminum alloy

During hot deformation of Al–Mg–Si alloys, a non-uniform microstructure is developed due to differences in localized strain. Physical simulations were performed to examine the effects of processing parameters such as deformation temperature, total reduction, rolling schedule and alloying additions on the grain structure evolution. Overall, the kinetics of recrystallization followed the traditional trends predicted by JMAK kinetics. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to quantify the difference in recrystallization kinetics at the sample surface and mid-thickness. The results showed that the surface showed elevated kinetics when compared to the sample mid-thickness.