Dynamic Mechanical Behavior and Microstructure Evolution of an Extruded 6013-T4 Alloy at Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

The mechanical properties of an extruded 6013-T4 alloy were tested at a temperature range from 25 to 400 °C and strain rate range from 1 × 103 to 5 × 103 s−1. The results demonstrate that the stress level is sensitive to strain rate and temperature. The stress level increases slightly with increasing strain rate and decreases remarkably with increasing temperature. The dislocation and precipitate undergo great changes. When deformed at 25 °C, the density of the dislocation increases with strain and strain rate; which leads to a higher stress level. A great number of needle-like precipitates were observed at samples deformed at 200 °C. It is clear that the density of dislocation increases with strain and strain rate. When impacted at 400 °C, the coarser precipitates were found in the specimen; the density of the dislocation increases with strain and strain rate.