Acta metall, mater. Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 1653-1664, 1993 0956-7151/93 $6.00 + 0.00 Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved Copyright © 1993 Pergamon Press Ltd HIGH TEMPERATURE PLANE STRAIN COMPRESSION OF CUBE ORIENTED ALUMINIUM CRYSTALS CI. MAURICE and J. H. DRIVER Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne, Materials Department, 158, Cours Fauriel, 42023 Saint-Etienne Cedex 2, France (Received 13 August 1992; in revised form 3 December 1992) Abstract--The infuence of deformation temperature on the stability of the (001)[100] and (001)[110] orientations of AI and AI-1% Mn crystals has been determined by means of channel die tests at 200-400°C. X-ray pole figures and EBSP analyses demonstrate that the (001)[110] crystals decompose at all temperatures into deformation bands of complementary {112}(1 IT) orientations. The behaviour of the cube orientation is temperature and strain rate dependent: at T < 0.6Tin (~300°C) decomposition into bands of octahedral slip occurs whereas at higher temperatures the cube orientation deforms by double slip on {110}(1I-0) systems and is stable up to high strains (E ~ 1.5). A simple analytical model and numerical simulations confirm that {110}(1"1"0) slip affects the near-cube orientations and tends to stabilize the cube orientation; the latter can be considered as a hot rolling texture component. Rrsumr---Afin de prrciser l'infuence de la temprrature de drformation sur la stabilit6 des orientations (001)[100] et (001)[110], nous avons effectu6 des essais de compression plane bi-encastrre sur des monocristaux d'A1 et AI-I%Mn, fi des temprratures de 200 fi 400°C. Les figures de pries mesurres par rayons X, ainsi que l'analyse par EBSP montrent que l'orientation (001)[110] se drcompose, ~. toutes temprratures, en bandes de drformation d'orientations complrmentaires {112}( 1l I). Le comportement de rorientation cube drpend fi la fois de la temprrature et de la vitesse de drformation: ~i T < 0.6Tr (~300°C) se produit une drcomposition en bandes de drformation, avec glissement sur les systrmes octaedriques, alors qu'~. des temprratures suprrieures l'orientation cube se drforme par glissement double sur des systrmes {ll0}(1T0) et reste stable jusqu'fi de grandes drformations (E ~ 1.5). Un modrle analytique simple, ainsi que des simulations numrriques confirment que le glissement sur {ll0}(IT0) affecte essentiellement les orientations proches du cube et tend ~. stabiliser cette orientation; l'orientation cube peut donc 6tre considrrre comme une composante des textures de laminage fi chaud. Zasammenfassung--Der EinfluB der Versuchstemperatur auf die Stabilit/it der (001)[100] und (001)[110]- Orientierungen wurde bei AI und AI-I%Mn Einkristallen anhand eines planen Kompressionsversuch untersucht. Die durch Rbntgendiffraktion erhaltenen Polfiguren und eine EBSP-Analyse zeigen, dab die Orientation (001)[100] sich unter jeder Temperatur zwischen 200°C und 400°C in komplement~re Verformungsb/inder der Orientierung {112}(11-1) aufspaltet. Das Verhalten der Wiirfelorientierung h/ingt sowohl yon der Temperatur als auch vonder Verformungsgeschwindigkeit ab: F~r Temperaturen unter 0.6T~ wird eine Aufspaltung in Verformungsb/inder mit oktahedraler Gleitung beobachtet. F/Jr hrhere Temperaturen verformt sich die Wiirfelorientierung durch doppelte Gleitung auf {110}(1-10) Systemen und bleibt stabil bis zu groBen Verformungen (E ~ 1.5). Ein einfaches analytishes Model und numerische Rechnungen zeigen, dab Gleitung auf { 110}(1T0) Systemen Hauptsfichlich die Wfirfellage betreffen und diese stabilisieren; diese kann somit als eine Texturkomponente beim Warmwalzen angesehen werden. 1. INTRODUCTION The long-standing controversy surrounding the cube texture component in f.c.c, metals reflects the patho- logical nature of this orientation in the sense that neither the rolling behaviour nor the subsequent recrystallization mechanisms fit into well-established theories. Most of the discussion and experimental studies have focussed on the origins of the cube recrystallization texture in cold rolled metals. As a result of this work, it is now clear that the recrystal- lization nucleation mechanisms are very sensitive to the microstructures and textures of the rolled material. For example, TEM studies have revealed the presence of ribbon-like zones of cube-oriented material in both heavily deformed copper [1, 2] and aluminium [3]. These cube bands can then act as nuclei during subsequent recrystallization [1, 4]. This raises the crucial question of the stability of the cube and near-cube orientations during rolling. There is substantial evidence from cold rolling experi- ments on cube oriented single crystals [5] and cube textured polycrystals [6, 7] that the cube orientation is unstable during large rolling reductions. Similarly, room temperature plane strain compression tests (channel die) on (001)[010] aluminium crystals [8, 9] have shown that the crystals decompose into different texture components, initially rotated about the transverse direction. This orientation splitting, by the formation of deformation bands separated by transition band regions of high lattice curvature 1653