EFFECT OF AS-CAST STRIP THICKNESS AND REDUCTION PRIOR TO SOFT ANNEALING ON THE FORMABILITY OF TWIN-ROLL CAST 5754 SHEETS

5XXX aluminum alloys are preferred in automotive applications owing to their high strength, good formability and corrosion resistance. However, these alloys are mostly produced by direct chill casting and there is a limited number of attempt for twin-roll cast (TRC) 5754. With the motivation of the fact that microstructure and properties of sheets produced via-FRC are highly influenced by casting parameters and cooling gradient originated throughout the snip thickness, this study investigates the effects of as-cast strip thickness and amount of cold rolling ratio prior to soft annealing on the microstnictural evolution as well as mechanical properties of 1 mm thick TRC 5754 sheets. Microstructural characterizations were conducted by optical and SENT examinations on as-cast samples and after intermediate annealing as well as soft annealing performed at final gauge. Mechanical properties of final products processed by different routes were determined by tensile tests and forming limit diagrams.