Sheet Forming Processes for AW-7xxx Alloys: Relevant Process Parameters

Abstract

High strength AW-7xxx sheet alloys are promising candidates to manufacture crash relevant parts, but their limited formability at room temperature presents a major challenge. Formability is controlled through heating rate, heat treatment temperature and time, quenching rate, forming temperature and strain rate. In the literature retrogression forming, W-temper forming, warm forming and hot stamping processes have been proposed to improve the formability of AW-7xxx alloys. Of these the greatest improvement in formability comes from W-temper forming and hot stamping. Considering the similarity to the conventional forming processes of cold stamping for aluminium and hot stamping for steel, the W-temper forming and hot stamping of aluminium are promising for AW-7xxx alloys.