Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Anisotropy of Strip Cast and Direct Chill Cast AA5182 Aluminum Alloy

Texture and mechanical anisotropy of direct chill cast (DC) hot band, strip cast (SC) hot band and annealed SC hot band AA5182 alloy are investigated. The results show that SC hot band annealed in a salt bath produces texture components that are close to DC hot band. The DC hot band possesses good mechanical property isotropy. The annealing process can remarkably improve the mechanical anisotropy of the SC hot band. The DC hot band and SC hot band annealed in a salt bath had 0/90 deg earing, with values of 3.98% and 2.17%, respectively. The SC hot band annealed in a furnace produced 45 deg earing, with a value of 0.77%. The DC hot band successfully made OT-180 deg bends. The annealed SC hot bands successfully made OT-150 deg bends but failed at OT-180 exp 0 bends. The mechanical anisotropy of the two AA5182 alloys can be explained in term of the grain structure, particle structure and texture.