The role of interface region on texture development in clad aluminum sheet products

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Over the last 100 years the aluminum industry has developed a variety of highly engineered monolithic sheet alloys with uniform through-thickness properties associated with a uniform texture and microstructure. In some cases the alloy surfaces can be tailored for special applications such as corrosion protection by anodizing, or cladding. The cladding process has traditionally consisted of welding a clad alloy sheet onto a core alloy sheet, followed by further roll processing. The result is a mechanical bond of limited integrity which often has a wavy interface containing former surface oxides. Novelis Inc. has developed a new cladding technology called Fusion, which simultaneously casts different aluminum alloy layers into a single rolling ingot. The interface formed between the core and cladding alloy in Fusion is metallurgical, that is it is flat, fully continuous, with no porosity or extraneous oxide phases. To fully exploit the benefits of both the core and clad combinations requires an understanding of how the roll processing optimized for the monolithic alloys alters the evolution of the texture and microstructure in this composite-like material, if at all. Working with Novelis Global Technology Centre, Queen's University researchers will develop complimentary scanning electron microscopy-based micro-texture and micro-focused x-ray diffraction techniques to efficiently quantify the through-thickness texture, microstructure and residual strain development in Fusion alloys targeted for automotive applications. The Fusion product can potentially create a new market for structural aluminum alloys in the automotive sector, and enhance production in the Novelis Kingston, Ontario plant. The research work to be carried out will enable teaching of one M.Sc. candidate and two B.Sc. engineering candidates on deformation texture theory and hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment and techniques, which will likely result in new contributions to the scientific literature.