Continuous recrystallization of commercial Al-1.2Â wt%Mn alloy produced by thermomechanical processing

The evolution of continuous recrystallization induced by conventional thermomechanical processing and the effect of final annealing temperature on the recrystallized structure have been investigated in a commercial Al-1.2 wt%Mn alloy. Experimental results demonstrate that continuous recrystallization could occur in Al-1.2 wt%Mn processed by thermomechanical processing, resulting in a uniform ultrafine grain structure with 1-2 µm mean grain size. Moreover, final annealing temperature has remarkable influence on the microstructure. A bimodal microstructure with ultrafine grains and coarse grains could be obtained at elevated annealing temperatures.