Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
An intermetallic Fe3Al alloy was cast, hot rolled, annealed (870 K), and finally quenched. After this treatment, the alloy had an imperfectly ordered B2 structure. The polycrystalline sample was then warm rolled at 800–830 K. The crystallographic texture of the rolled specimen was quantitatively studied within the range, ∈ = 20–80%. Even at large strains (∈ = 80%), recrystallization was not observed in the microstructure. It was found that the rolling texture of Fe3 Al is very inhomogeneous through the sample thickness. In the center layer, a large volume fraction of grains with a {111} lattice plane parallel to the sheet surface, {111}〈uvw〉, and a weak {001} 〈110〉 component were observed. In contrast, close to the sheet surface layer, a weak texture containing the {11 11 8} 〈4 4 11〉 and the {012} 〈110〉 orientations was formed. The results are interpreted in terms of the activation of {110} 〈111〉 and {112} 〈111〉 slip systems. The through-thickness texture gradient was attributed to the inhomogeneous strain distribution during rolling, leading to plane strain in the center layer and to shear strains close to the surface.