TEM and SEM analyses of the orientation relations of recrystallized grains in a stable Al–1 wt.%Mn single crystal

The recrystallization grain orientations developed during annealing of a deformed single crystal have been characterized by in-situ TEM and ex-situ SEM. Single crystal samples of Al–1 wt.%Mn alloy of brass(110) [1-1-2] orientation were deformed in a channel-die to develop 2 sets of intersecting microbands at strains of 0.51 and 0.92 and then lightly annealed. Local orientation measurements demonstrate a strong relation between the deformed orientations and the limited number of recrystallized grain orientation groups. The misorientation angles across the recrystallization front were grouped in the range 25–55° (with a maximum near 40–45°) around axes located near three normals of the 4 {111} planes; the [1-11] rotation axis parallel to the transverse direction was not found. Two groups of rotation axes were identified: (i) rotation axes very close to the or directions, and (ii) a scattered sequence between – , – or – directions. The orientations of new grains that nucleate during thin foil heating in TEM were compared with those formed during static recrystallization of bulk samples analysed by SEM/EBSD, both in the centre section of electropolished samples and in near-surface areas of abraded samples. In all experiments the new grain orientations belong to the same groups and the distribution of misorientation axes across the recrystallization front was similar.