Effect of manganese addition on the tensile properties of cold-rolled and recovery-annealed aluminum alloy sheets

Abstract This study investigated the influence of manganese addition on the tensile properties of recovery-annealed aluminum alloy sheets. These alloys exhibit age-hardening phenomenon after annealing in the temperature range of 200–220 °C, which is mainly due to the presence of Si. In general, after annealed at the same temperature, alloys with higher Mn content exhibited higher tensile strength. These recovery annealed aluminum alloy sheets exhibited increased tensile elongation with increasing annealing temperature, which is mainly because of the contribution of post-uniform elongation. The plastic deformation during post-uniform elongation is associated with the development of fine slip bands distributed in the gauge length of the specimen. After recovery annealing, the alloy with 0.74 wt.% Mn exhibited a superior combination of strength and ductility as compared to alloys with lower Mn content.