Effect of rolling temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of 6063 Al alloy

Aluminium alloy (6063) was severely rolled upto 92% thickness reduction at liquid nitrogen temperature and room temperature to study the effect of rolling temperature on its mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics by using tensile tests and SEM/electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), DSC, X-ray diffraction (XRD) as compared to room temperature rolled (RTR) material with the same deformation strain. An improved strength (257 MPa) of cryorolled 6063 Al alloy was observed as compared to the room temperature rolled alloy (232 MPa). The improved strength of cryorolled alloy is due to the accumulation of higher dislocation density than the room temperature rolled material. The tensile properties of cryorolled alloy and the alloy subjected to different annealing treatments were measured. The cryorolled alloy subjected to annealing treatment at 300 °C for 5 min exhibits an ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure with improved tensile strength and ductility.