Texture Evolution and Twinning During the Expansion of Hot Extruded AZ31 + Sr Seamless Tubes

Abstract

Seamless tubes of AZ31, AZ31 + 0.4, and 0.8 wt pctSr were extruded at elevated temperatures. By compressing pure copper inserts inside the tubes, the extruded tubes were expanded at room and elevated temperatures [373 K and 473 K (100 °C and 200 °C)]. Microstructural examinations reveal the formation of twining in the as-extruded and expanded tubes. The amount of twinning decreased with increasing level of Sr in the expanded microstructures as a result of grain refinement and of decreasing Al in solution that facilitates dislocation motion. During expansion at room temperature, AZ31 shows higher elongation and lower strength than the alloys containing Sr. At 473 K (200 °C), compared to the lower temperatures, the Sr containing alloys exhibit lower flow stress and no fracture in the strain range investigated (40 pct reduction in cylinder height). The textures of the extruded alloys contain two main components named as RD (c-axis parallel to the radial direction) and HD (c-axis parallel to the hoop direction) based on their orientation with the sample coordinates. During expansion, extension twinning in the HD grains reorients the lattice to strengthen the RD and form a new ED (c-axis parallel to the extrusion direction) component. By increasing the temperature or level of Sr, the ED component is weakened due to the decrease in twinning. During expansion, the RD grains undergo contraction and double twining which reduce the overall texture strength.