Influence of the twin-roll casting parameters on the microsegregation in thin strips of the aluminium alloy EN AW-6082

Twin-roll casting is a modern process for the production of thin strips directly from the melt with a minimum of energy and material consumption. Nowadays, lightweight thin strips of age- hardenable aluminium alloys with medium and high strength are widely used in the machine building and construction. However, the wide application of twin-roll casting technology for the strip production from high-alloyed 6XXX- And 7XXX-series aluminum alloys is limited due to the presence of characteristic near-surface microsegregation in the strips caused by non-uniform deformation over their thickness in twin-roll caster. Microsegregation leads to inhomogeneous microstructure of the strips and consequently deteriorates their mechanical characteristics, corrosion resistance and surface quality. This paper focuses on the influence of twin- roll casting speed on the microsegregation in strips of the aluminum alloy EN AW-6082. Analysis of 3 mm thickness strips obtained by twin-roll casting at different speeds is carried out using metallographic and electron microscopy methods.