Recrystallization and texture development in hot rolled 1050 aluminum

The evolution of texture as a function of recrystallization has been characterized for hot-rolled AA1050. Samples prepared from hot rolled sheet were annealed isothermally for sufficient time to allow complete recrystallization. The microstructural variation and texture evolution in the samples was observed by automatic indexing of Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) patterns in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The spatial orientation variation within the deformed microstructure of nucleation, growth and orientations of recrystallized grains was examined. The orientation spread within grains was found to be a useful quantity for partitioning recrystallized and unrecrystallized regions. Also the effect of deformation texture on the evolution and growth of various recrystallization texture components was analyzed. The analysis is aimed at obtaining a correlation between the deformation microstructure, texture development and recrystallization kinetics in the hot-rolled condition. Preliminary results suggest only a weak correlation between the rate of recrystallization and the deformation texture component.