Characterization and Representation of Crystallographic Texture Fields in Processed Alloys

Abstract

Deformation and thermal processing operations can produce structurally heterogeneous and anisotropic alloys. Thick, hot-rolled aluminum plate is an excellent example of such a material. Due to the plate size and thermomechanical conditions experienced by the plate during processing, significant gradients in material structure arise. These gradients are especially strong in the through-thickness or normal direction (ND) of the plate. In AA 7050, an aluminum alloy developed for thick plate applications, gradients in microporosity, grain morphology and crystallographic texture are known to exist. These features have been linked to material properties and performance measures in this alloy. Recent advances in high speed machining technology have made it possible to consider thick AA 7050 plate for an increasingly large number of airframe components. Because of its inherent heterogeneity, however, designing flight-critical components machined from AA 7050 plate will require one to quantify and mathematically represent the variation of the relevant microstructural gradients.