The effect of rolling temperature on the microstructure and properties of multi pass rolled 7A04 aluminum alloy

The current research on 7-series aluminum alloys mainly focuses on solid solution and aging treatments, as well as the flow stress during the deformation process. There are limited researches on the influence of thermal deformation temperature on the micro-structure and properties of the aluminum alloy during multi-pass hot rolling process. In this study, the as-cast 7A04 aluminum alloy was subjected to homogenization treatment, followed by multi-pass hot rolling. The effects of different deformation parameters on dislocation density were analyzed. Microstructural characterization of the deformed alloy was performed using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and micro-hardness tester. The optimal microstructure of the deformed alloy was selected based on the size of recrystallization. Subsequently, the Deform-3D finite element simulation software was used to analyze the multi-pass hot rolling process. The influence of deformation param-eters on the uniformity of equivalent strain distribution within the samples was investi-gated. The results showed that at the deformation temperature of 430 degrees C, a significant amount of recrystallized microstructure appeared in the alloy, resulting in the lowest dislocation density and a significant reduction in the quantity of coarse precipitates. Finite element numerical simulation revealed that the deformation temperature had a certain influence on the uniformity of strain distribution within the alloy. However, this influence was mostly eliminated when the deformation temperature exceeded 380 degrees C. Meanwhile, the distribution of strain within the alloy was found to be related to the temperature distribution.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

The current research mainly focuses on solid solution and aging treatments, as well as the flow stress during the deformation process of 7-series aluminum alloys. Limited research has been conducted on the influence of thermal deformation temperature on the microstructure and properties of the alloy during multi-pass hot rolling. This study investigated the effects of different deformation parameters on dislocation density and analyzed the microstructural characterization of the deformed alloy using various techniques. The optimal microstructure was selected based on recrystallization size, and finite element simulation was conducted to analyze the multi-pass hot rolling process. The results showed that the deformation temperature significantly affected the recrystallized microstructure and dislocation density, and the uniformity of strain distribution within the alloy was influenced by the temperature distribution.