Continuous recrystallization of commercial Al-1.2 wt%Mn alloy produced by thermomechanical processing

Abstract The evolution of continuous recrystallization induced by conventional thermomechanical processing and the effect of final annealing temperature on the recrystallized structure have been investigated in a commercial Al-1.2 wt%Mn alloy. Experimental results demonstrate that continuous recrystallization could occur in Al-1.2 wt%Mn processed by thermomechanical processing, resulting in a uniform ultrafine grain structure with 1–2 µm mean grain size. Moreover, final annealing temperature has remarkable influence on the microstructure. A bimodal microstructure with ultrafine grains and coarse grains could be obtained at elevated annealing temperatures.