Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) does not require any special equipment and enables the production of large amounts of ultra-fine grained (UFG) materials. Grain refinement is thermally stable in materials with finely dispersed particles such as twin-roll cast (TRC) aluminium alloy sheets, favourable materials for manufacturing UFG sheets. The results of a study of the effect of ARB temperature on bonding quality, structure and properties of TRC AA8006 sheet are presented. Examinations by light and transmission electron microscopy, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), hardness and tensile tests were used in the study. After two cycles at 200°C, mean grain size of 0.4 - 0.8 μm is achieved, but areas with extremely fine grains of 0.1 to 0.3 μm in diameter are also observed. Hardness increases significantly after two cycles and it rises a little in subsequent cycles. Processing at higher temperatures (up to 350°C) results in better bonding but it produces smaller increase in hardness. Significant increase of dislocation density is observed by PAS after the first cycle at 250°C but it does not continue during subsequent cycles. Partial recrystallization occurs in samples processed at temperatures above 250°C explaining the smaller increase in hardness. Softening level depends on both ARB temperature and number of cycles. The thermal stability of refined structures produced by ARB at 250°C is better than these formed at higher temperatures.
Annealing Effects in Twin-Roll Cast AA8006 Aluminium Sheets Processed by Accumulative Roll-Bonding
