Texture variation in a heat treated heavily deformed aluminum alloy 6061

A study was carried out to determine the effect of temperature and time during the heat treatment of aluminum alloy 6061 (AA6061) in an 8 T magnetic field and their subsequent effect on the texture. A bar of AA6061 of about 25 mm × 100 mm × 13 mm was solution heat treated for 2 hours, then quenched in water and subsequently 'multi-pass' rolled from 13 mm thickness to about 2 mm thickness, that is approximately 85% deformation. Specimens from the rolled material were heat treated at different temperatures and for various periods of time. Subsequently small pieces of about 6 mm × 6 mm were prepared for texture measurements using an x-ray diffractometer with texture goniometer mounted on it. Temperatures used for these experiments are 200°C, 310°C, 350°C, 400°C, 450°C and 500°C for 10, 30, 60 and 100 minutes for each of the temperatures. It is found that the intensities of the major texture components (B, Cu and S) in the magnetically annealed alloy decreased generally with increase in temperatures of up to 400°C and for periods of time less than 60 minutes; this might not have been unconnected with recrystallization. It can therefore be concluded that the magnetic field affected the intensity of some of the major components of the β-fiber in an heat treatable aluminum alloy 6061 processed in a 8 T magnetic field by enhancing the recovery process and suppressing recrystallization.