Textures of Non-Oriented Electrical Steel Sheets Produced by Skew Cold Rolling and Annealing

In order to investigate the effect of cold rolling deformation mode and initial texture on the final textures of non-oriented electrical steels, a special rolling technique, i.e., skew rolling, was utilized to cold reduce steels. This not only altered initial textures but also changed the rolling deformation mode from plane-strain compression (2D) to a more complicated 3D mode consisting of thickness reduction, strip elongation, strip width spread and bending. This 3D deformation induced significantly different cold-rolling textures from those observed with conventional rolling, especially for steels containing low (0.88 wt%) and medium (1.83 wt%) amounts of silicon at high skew angles (30° and 45°). The difference in cold-rolling texture was attributed to the change of initial texture and the high shear strain resulting from skew rolling. After annealing, significantly different recrystallization textures also formed, which did not show continuous <110>//RD (rolling direction) and <111>//ND (normal direction) fibers as commonly observed in conventionally rolled and annealed steels. At some skew angles (e.g., 15–30°), the desired <001>//ND texture was largely enhanced, while at other angles (e.g., 45°), this fiber was essentially unchanged. The formation mechanisms of the cold rolling and recrystallization textures were qualitatively discussed.

Effect of Rolling Orientation on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AZ31B Mg Alloy

The magnesium AZ31B alloy has been utilized in a variety of applications within the automotive and aviation industries due to its high specific strength, low-cost processing, and low density. However, the AZ31B alloy generally has poor ductility and limited workability at room temperature. The objective of this study was to develop a manufacturing processing technique to increase the potential uses of this alloy. The methodology includes cold rolling and annealing using small pass reductions until the samples reached a final thickness of 1.78 mm (0.07 in). The samples were cut into 10.16 mm (0.4 in), 7.62 mm (0.3 in), and 5.08 mm (0.2 in) thicknesses prior to cold rolling and were rolled in 0-, 45-, and 90-degree rolling directions. The grain shapes and sizes were examined via optical microscopy. Tensile testing was conducted to determine the strength and ductility. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were taken to evaluate fractured surfaces. All processes including rolling direction and furnace cooling or air cooling after annealing produced similar results of medium strength (245-250 MPa in ultimate strength, 122-127 MPa in yield) and greater than 22.5% elongations in very thin sheets. Samples rolled along the 45-degree direction produced the highest percent reduction in thickness.

The Effects of Annealing at Different Temperatures on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cold-Rolled Al0.3CoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy

In this work, cold-rolling was utilized to induce a high density of crystal defects in Al0.3CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloys. The effects of annealing temperature on static recrystallization, precipitation behavior and mechanical properties were investigated. With increasing annealing temperature from 590 °C to 800 °C, the area fraction of recrystallized region increases from 26.9% to 93.9%. Cold-rolling deformation largely promotes the precipitation of B2 phases during annealing, and the characteristics of the precipitates are linked to recrystallization level. The coarse and equiaxed B2 phases exist in the recrystallized region and the fine and elongated B2 phases occupy the non-recrystallized region. Combined use of cold-rolling and annealing can remarkably enhance the strength and toughness. A partially recrystallized microstructure in a cold-rolled sample annealed at 700 °C exhibits a better combination of strength and toughness than a fully recrystallized microstructure in a cold-rolled sample annealed at 800 °C. Finally, related mechanisms are discussed.