Abstract
A procedure based on quantitative optical microscopy has been used to investigate nucleation and growth of recrystallisation in an Al–1Mg alloy. Hot rolling and plane strain compression tests were employed for this purpose, providing strains within the range 0·2–2·2 and strain rates within the range 2·5–4·9 s-1, while annealing was carried out at 400°C in all cases. The nucleation kinetics is not site saturated, particularly at low strains, the major discrepancy being observed early during recrystallisaton. However, in practice site saturation is a reasonable approximation. During recrystallisation, the average growth rate decreases continuously. Although concurrent recovery in the unrecrystallised fraction is expected to lead to a decrease in growth rate, the magnitude of the reduction is such that a non-uniform distribution in stored energy is expected to play a significant role.
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