The Effect of Intermediate Annealing on Texture Banding in Aluminum Alloy 6016

Abstract The roping phenomenon was investigated in two alloys of 6016 aluminum. In one case the material (GR) is more resistant to roping. In the other (BR), the material is less resistant to roping. Roping lines are therefore more pronounced in the BR material compared to the GR case. One significant difference between the processing of these materials is that the GR material underwent intermediate annealing (IA); the BR material did not. Through‐process characterization of the BR and GR materials by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that the IA step transformed the texture of the GR material compared to the BR case, where the evolution was typical of Al alloys. It was found that the IA step set the stage for the ensuing differences in texture evolution, spatial distribution of {1 0 0} ⟨0 0 1〉 Cube grains and ultimately, the different roping behaviors exhibited by the BR and GR materials.