The influence of severe plastic deformation on the mechanical properties of AA6111

Abstract

Aluminum Alloys Research SummaryThe alloy AA6111 has been chosen in many countries for automotive outerbody panels, but low ductility remains a major obstacle to competition with steel. Equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was used as a tool to produce fi ne-grained structures with enhanced ductility. Conventional grain sizes in the range of 9 µm to 50 µm were used to investigate the infl uence of severe plastic deformation (SPD) and heat treatment on mechanical properties of AA6111 sheet at room temperature. It has been found that SPD by ECAE followed by heat treatment leads to an increase in both strength and ductility, in addition to high r-value. The

Processing and properties of ultrafine-grain aluminium alloy 6111 sheet

“…Such microstructural changes necessarily alter the response of the sheet to subsequent thermo-mechanical treatment and potentially improve the formability and final strength of the sheet (Engler et al, 1996;Rhee et al, 2005). Surface finish of the formed sheet is also likely to be significantly improved.…”

“…Surface finish of the formed sheet is also likely to be significantly improved. One of the specific features of ECAP that can justify its high value for sheet applications is ECAP's influence on the size and distribution of second-phase particles which have a significant influence on both the materials strength and formability (Rhee et al, 2005). The combination of high formability with the ability to significantly strengthen following the paint-bake cycle is widely sought after in production of aluminium panels for automobile bodies.…”