A TEM STUDY OF THE MICROSTRUCTURES OF 3003 AND 3003-ZR ALLOYS PRODUCED BY TWIN ROLL CASTING

3003 is a typical alloy produced with twin roll casting (TRC) technology for various applications of industry. Alloying of 3003 with Zr has been studied for conventional production technique, i.e. DC casting and hot-rolling. However, it has not been investigated for a similar composition solidified at the cooling rate of TRC. In this study, the microstructures of TRC 3003 and similar to 0.07 wt.% Zr containing TRC 3003 alloys were investigated using optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). For both alloys, the same thermomechanical downstream process was employed, which included a homogenization treatment at an intermediate thickness and a final annealing. Intermetallic particle evolution after the annealing steps was investigated comparatively. Recrystallization temperature of TRC 3003 alloys were altered with the addition of similar to 0.07 wt.% Zr due to the formation of Zr containing second phase particles.