Investigation on evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of heat-treatable 6010-S aluminium alloy during gas-based hot sheet metal forming process

Abstract

Abstract Modern hot sheet metal forming processes offer the opportunity, especially in the automotive sector, to meet current demands for ultra-lightweight design. Due to the increased formability at the high process temperatures, high-strength aluminium alloys are increasingly coming into the focus of the industry. However, the complex thermo-mechanical interactions within these processes can lead to undesirable microstructural changes that could have a negative impact on the final mechanical properties. The purpose of this work is therefore to investigate the microstructural evolution of age-hardenable EN AW 6010-S alloy in the course of a modern gas-based sheet metal forming process and to quantify its influence on the resulting mechanical T6 properties. For this purpose, two different components were first formed at laboratory scale and the areas of microstructural interest were identified. Metallographic examinations and EBSD measurements were performed to visualize the influence of process temperature and deformation on the microstructure. EDX analysis helped to identify non-metallic phases. In the next step, artificial aging of the components was performed to increase the mechanical properties. Tensile tests and hardness measurements showed that the deformation and temperature have no negative influence on the final mechanical properties of the alloy.