Texture evolution and recrystallization behaviors of Cu-Ag alloys subjected to cryogenic rolling

The texture evolution and mechanical properties of Cu-Ag alloys subjected to severe plastic deformation at cryogenic temperature (CT) were investigated and the sequent annealing behaviors were also studied. Compared with the sheets rolled at room temperature (RT) showing copper texture, the CT-rolled sheets exhibited brass texture which indicated that cross-slip was suppressed at CT, and both the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the sheets were increased. Due to the in-situ recrystallization mechanism, recrystallization textures in as-annealed CT-rolled sheets were randomly distributed, while the as-annealed RT-rolled sheets mainly contained cube texture. Microstructures of the rolled and annealed sheets were observed using optical microscopy and electronic back-scatter diffraction. The results show that the dynamic recovery was suppressed during CT-rolling and resulted in higher deformation energy storage. Therefore, the recrystallization of CT-rolled sheets could start at a lower temperature than that of RT-rolled sheet at the same reduction.