• Pre-thermal treatment at 450°C for 4 h before hot rolling refines precipitate distribution, significantly reducing mechanical anisotropy in rapidly solidified 2195 alloy sheets.
• The treatment promotes recrystallization during hot rolling, leading to low in-plane anisotropy factors of 1.15% for ultimate tensile strength and 0.77% for yield strength.
• Subsequent peak aging at 165°C for 48 h enhances grain refinement and T1 phase uniformity while suppressing precipitation-free zones, improving strength and toughness.
• The optimized process yields yield strength of 547 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 590 MPa, and elongation of 7.7%, demonstrating potential for aerospace applications.