Mechanical properties of undercooled aluminium alloys and their implementation in quenching simulation

Abstract

The mechanical properties of aluminium alloys with non-equilibrium microstructures necessary for heat treatment simulation are not available. Therefore, compression tests of undercooled aluminium alloys such as AlSi1MgMn and AlZn4·5Mg1 have been performed in a quenching and deformation dilatometer with varying quenching rates and quenching finish temperatures. The compressive load on quenching finish temperature was applied immediately after quenching. The mechanical properties such as yield strength and strain hardening are strongly dependent on quenching rates and finish temperatures of quenching. Flow curves depending on quenching rates and quenching finish temperatures have been implemented in a quenching simulation by the finite element method. For the cooling process of extrusion profiles in water and in a gas nozzle field, the simulation results are presented.

Keywords:

• Aluminium alloys
• Age hardening
• Quenching
• Mechanical model
• Quenching simulation

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding of the present work by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Forschergruppe 922, project KE616/13-1 as well as funding of the quenching and deformation dilatometer by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (grant no. DFG INST 264/40-1).