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A retrogression heat treatment was combined with simultaneous warm forming to produce cross-shaped stampings from AA7075-T6 Alclad sheet. This process is termed retrogression forming. A maximum-allowed- retrogression-forming-time, which includes sheet heat up, transfer, and stamping, was predicted by calculation to achieve peak-aged strength through a single reaging heat treatment after forming. Sheets of 1.6-mm-thick AA7075-T6 Alclad were stamped at 200 °C to a depth of 45 mm within 2 s without splitting. The formed geometry exhibits a complexity appropriate to automotive structural components. These stampings were then subjected to one of two reaging heat treatments. A full reaging heat treatment of 120 °C for 24 h produced strength levels in excess of the original, peak-aged T6 alloy sheet. A sim- ulated paint bake heat treatment at 185 °C for 25 min recovered 95% of the strength lost during warm forming. Successful retrogression forming and reaging of AA7075- T6 provides new possibilities for stamping high-strength aluminum alloys into complex geometries without sacri- ficing strength.
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Plastic Flow of AA6013-T6 at Elevated Temperatures and Subsequent Reaging to Regain Full Strength
Combining a retrogression heat treatment with simulta- neous warm forming can increase the formability of peak-aged, high-strength aluminum alloys while allowing peak-aged strength to be recovered through a single reaging heat treatment after forming. This process is termed retrogression-forming-and-reaging (RFRA). This study investigates the applicability of RFRA to AA6013- T6 sheet material. Elevated-temperature tensile tests were performed at temperatures from 230 to 250 °C and strain rates from 3.2 10 −3 to 10 −1 s −1 . Tensile tests were followed by reaging with a simulated paint-bake heat treatment. Flow stress at a true strain of 0.10 ranges from 230 MPa (250 °C and 3.2 10 −3 s −1 ) to 290 MPa (230 °C and 10 −1 s −1 ), significantly lower than the room-temperature yield strength of 360 MPa in the T6 condition. The average elongation to rupture and reduc- tion in area from elevated-temperature tests are 22% and 56%, respectively, which are similar to the room- temperature values for the T4 condition. Elevated- temperature testing reduced material hardness compared to the original T6 condition. Subsequent reaging with a simulated paint-bake raised hardness to 96% of the T6 condition in un-deformed material, but slightly decreased the hardness of the deformed material. Recommendations for implementing RFRA of AA6013-T6 are presented.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1634495
- PAR ID:
- 10178662
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Minerals, Metals and Materials Series: Light Metals 2020
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 400-405
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Perander, L. (Ed.)Retrogression forming and reaging (RFRA) is a new warm-forming process designed to produce automotive structural components from high-strength aluminum alloys. A scientific approach is described to determine appropriate RFRA conditions for AA7075-T6 and is applied to laboratory-scale forming experiments. The concept of reduced time is used with the activation energy of retrogression measured for AA7075-T6 to predict appropriate times and temperatures for retrogression forming. Conditions recommended for AA7075-T6 are retrogression at 200 °C for 3 to 12 min while forming at strain rates of up to 10^{–1} s^{−1}. The recommended reaging heat treatment to fully restore strength to the T6 condition after retrogression forming is 120 °C for 24 h. These RFRA conditions were successfully applied in laboratory-scale experiments to form AA7075-T6 Alclad sheet and produce a final strength equivalent to the T6 condition. Data from tensile tests provide flow stresses and tensile ductilities across the range of conditions appropriate for RFRA.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36408-3_56
