INVESTIGATION OF AA6082 GRAIN TEXTURE EVOLUTION AND PREDICTION

Microstructure of aluminum is of high importance for product mechanical properties. During extrusion the material undergoes a wide range of different strain, strain rates and temperature gradients, how many works reported (1). Final microstructure and texture is the result of the effects of multiple mechanisms as grain shape change, recrystallization, recovery, and grain growth. To get optimized profiles a well-direct adjustment of the microstructure through process parameter is a typical and critical aim. Therefore the correlation between extrusion process parameters and the change of texture and grain size needs to be investigated (2). The present paper reports a study on grain evolution during the first stages of material response to deformation in direct extrusion process. The investigation was carried out by means of a circular profile extrusion of AA6082 alloy with the aim of evaluate dependency of texture change over process parameters such as temperatures, velocity and extrusion ratio. Sequentially experimental measurements on grain size have been coupled with strain evaluation of finite element model in order to define an evolution model, always taking into account existing evolution theories and laws.