Warm Aging of Pre-aged AA6013 Sheet and Its Relevance to Room Temperature and Warm Forming Applications—Experimental and Modeling Analyses

Abstract Warm forming has been shown to be an effective way increase the formability of various aluminum sheet alloys. If applied precipitation hardenable alloys, aging and/or coarsening may occur during heating processes. As such, there is a potential leverage warm process artificially age In this study, characteristics pre-aged Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy (designated AA6013-PA and comprising 4 h, 100 °C pre-aging cycle following solutionization) were examined using: (i) room temperature tensile (ii) bendability experiments, as well (iii) elevated experiments in range 220-280 °C. condition, exhibited very high work hardening, elongation bendability. It was found that T6-like properties can obtained with short duration secondary starting temper (410 s at 235 °C), followed by paint bake (30 min 177 °C). such heavily aged conditions, moderate consistent T6 temper. Bendability enhanced reducing extent aging, which beneficial for applications requiring energy absorption crash, example. AA6013 displayed 55% improvement formability, relative near plane-strain loading using Nakazima punch, although neither improvements through forming. The kinetics determined from mechanical test data used calibrate model. A strong obstacle model relate state yield strength, artificial incremental strength due exposure automotive cure also modeled accurate results. deformation, enhance response alloy, time peak condition up 14%