Effect of processing on microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of twin roll cast 5754 sheet

Weight reduction in passenger cars improves fuel economy, performance, safety and reduces emissions. Aluminium currently offers the greatest potential for cost effective weight savings in automotive body structures owing to its ability to reduce vehicle's weight without a loss in performance. The major barrier to the widespread use of Al in high volume automotive applications has been its high cost. This makes the implementation of the twin roll casting (TRC) technology in the manufacture of Al sheet very attractive. It has recently been shown that TRC Al-Mg sheet can be a suitable substitution for its direct chill (DC) cast counterpart. The present paper reports the results of an investigation undertaken to evaluate the microstructure, texture and properties of 1.0 mm thick O temper 5754 sheet manufactured by TRC technology for inner panel applications. The response of TRC 5754 alloy to different down stream processing cycles were investigated.