Anisotropy of mechanical properties and crystallographic texture in hot rolled AZ31+XSr sheets

The influences of Sr on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties including flow and anisotropy behavior of AZ31 alloys are investigated. Slabs containing no, 0.4 and 0.8 wt% of strontium were cast and subjected to hot rolling. Results indicate that Sr reduces the basal texture intensity (23% in the AZ31+0.8Sr alloy) and homogenizes the distribution of strain in uniaxial tension. Furthermore, Sr increases both the strength coefficient and the strain hardening exponent in all directions. In the transverse direction, enhancements are more significant. Moreover, Sr enhances the combination of tensile strength and total elongation; i.e., toughness, whether tests are performed parallel to the rolling, diagonal or transverse directions, to significant extents.