Physical Simulation of Laser Surface Treatment to Study Softening Effect on Age-Hardened Aluminium Alloys

The automotive industry is interested in manufacturing components with tailored mechanical properties. To this end, advanced heating treatments can be exploited to obtain the so-called Tailored Heat-Treated Blanks (THTB). However, properties are strongly affected by process parameters of treatments, which require a preliminary design. Physical simulation decisive tool phase useful information at laboratory scale, even when heat such as those carried out laser technologies impose high and cooling rates on material. This work uses physical investigate changes strength ductility caused treatment (LHT) aluminum alloys hardened aging; methodology was implemented EN AW 6082 T6 alloy. First, finite-element (FE) transient thermal model developed simulate LHT varying (laser power/peak temperature speed). Second, resulting cycles were physically simulated means Gleeble 3180 system. Third, specimens evaluated through micro-hardness tensile tests; study aging effects, investigations performed both (i) right after tests (samples supersaturated solid state, i.e., as-physically (APS) state) (ii) one week from (aged specimens—T4 state). obtained results show that there peak temperatures guarantee maximum softening levels for each investigated state (T4 APS). optimal ranges agreement data literature, demonstrating proposed suitable phenomena aging-hardened alloys.