Advanced characterization of microstructural changes during recrystallization in aluminum alloy 6013

Aluminum alloy 6013 was chosen as an example of a material that, after thermal treatment, possesses a relatively uniform and stable bimodal distribution of fine (<<1 μm) and coarse (>1 μm) particles. Samples of this alloy were subjected to plastic deformation by cold rolling. The presence of large and small particles has an influence on the behavior of this material during the recrystallization process. A complex investigation of the microstructural changes during annealing were carried out by means of advanced SEM and TEM techniques. Orientation mapping (OM), i.e., automatic determination of the topography of the crystallographic orientations, was performed using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in the SEM and microdiffraction in the TEM experiments. These techniques were combined with in-situ heating experiments in the TEM and SEM experiments. The quantitative description of the microstructure at each step of recrystallization is presented. Changes in the microstructure of the investigated material during annealing reveal the role and impact of both types of particles on recrystallization and grain growth. The obtained results are in agreement with parallel calorimetric studies. (paper)