Effect of heating rate on the microstructure, texture and tensile properties of continuous cast AA 5083 aluminum alloy

Continuous cast (CC) AA 5083 aluminum alloy was cold rolled to 70% reduction and then annealed at different temperatures for 1 h in an air furnace at a heating rate of 5 °C/min and in a salt bath (~75 °C/s), respectively. The effect of heating rate on the microstructure, texture and tensile properties of CC AA 5083 aluminum alloy was investigated. In the case of slow anneal the CC AA 5083 aluminum alloy exhibited a coarse elongated grain structure and a weak {114}〈11¯0〉 recrystallization texture, while a fine equiaxed grain structure and weaker cube and {114}〈11¯0〉 textures were observed in the case of rapid anneal. The rapid anneal promoted the recrystallization of CC AA 5083 aluminum alloy. After complete recrystallization, annealing in a salt bath resulted in higher yield strength and slightly higher ultimate tensile strength than annealing in an air furnace. Lüders elongation phenomenon and serration amplitude of CC AA 5083 aluminum alloy were affected by the annealing temperature and heating rate.