Effect of Initial Microstructure on Properties of Cryorolled Al 5052 Alloy Subjected to Different Annealing Treatment Temperatures

Al 5052 alloy sheets were subjected to different pre-annealing temperatures (150, 200, 250, 300, and 350 °C) prior to cryorolling. The process resulted in Al 5052 alloys with different initial microstructures. The pre-annealed alloy sheets were compared with a cryorolled sample not subjected to pre-annealing. The thicknesses of the alloy samples after cryorolling was reduced by 30%. The pre-annealed cryorolled samples exhibited low crystallite size, and high lattice strain. Among them, the cryorolled sample pre-annealed at 300 °C had the lowest crystallite size, and the highest lattice strain. Changes in initial microstructure of this sample resulted in a significant improvement in its hardness (88 Hv), tensile strength (333 MPa), and corrosion resistance. The sample had the highest corrosion resistance among the cryorolled samples.