Study of Asymmetric Rolling to Improve Textures and r-Values of Aluminium Deep Drawing Alloys

The typical textures developed in aluminium alloys for deep drawing applications are less favourable as those in competing steel sheet material. The {111} fibre texture in steel, associated to high r-values, is favourable to this purpose, but the typical textures of the aluminium materials, the {001}<100> "cube" texture component and the beta-fibre component, are not. Asymmetric rolling (ASR) as part of the production process generates a shear component at the expense of the unfavourable components. Modelling was tried out as a possible tool to fine-tune the process parameters. A multiscale FEM model (with a built-in polycrystal deformation model to predict the texture) was used to this purpose. The effect of the shear component on the resulting texture is discussed in function of the values of the process variables, as well as its effect on the resulting plastic anisotropy parameters (r and q values).