Influence of predeformation on microstructure evolution of superplastically formed Al 5083 alloy

Cavitation is the main defect encountered during superplastic forming (SPF) of thin sheet aluminum alloys. In the present paper, the influence of preforming operation (cold or hot) on the superplastic forming ability and quality of 1.6-mm-thick sheet of 5083 SPF aluminum alloy is investigated. Speci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of advanced manufacturing technology Vol. 88; no. 9-12; pp. 2929 - 2937
Main Authors Chentouf, S. M., Belhadj, T., Bombardier, N., Brodusch, N., Gauvin, R., Jahazi, M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Springer London 01.02.2017
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Alloys
Aluminum
Aluminum base alloys
CAE) and Design
Cavitation
Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD
Deformation
Emission analysis
Engineering
Evolution
Field emission microscopy
Grain size
Heat treating
Holes
Image processing
Industrial and Production Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Media Management
Microstructure
Original Article
Predeformation
Preforming
Scanning electron microscopy
Superplastic forming
Superplasticity
Grain size
Superplastic forming
Cavity
Al 5083
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Summary:Cavitation is the main defect encountered during superplastic forming (SPF) of thin sheet aluminum alloys. In the present paper, the influence of preforming operation (cold or hot) on the superplastic forming ability and quality of 1.6-mm-thick sheet of 5083 SPF aluminum alloy is investigated. Specifically, grain size evolution and the characteristics of the cavitation process are discussed as a function of prior deformation and the preforming temperature. Optical and field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) were used to study the characteristics of the cavities and microstructure evolution. Image processing was used to measure the surface and volume fractions of the cavities. The results indicate that hot preforming leads to a lower number of cavities per unit surface compared to cold preforming prior to the SPF operation. However, the average cavity sizes and the average grain size are higher in the case of hot preforming compared to cold preforming, which lead to higher susceptibility to crack formation and reduced SPF ability of the alloy.
ISSN:0268-3768
1433-3015
DOI:10.1007/s00170-016-9006-5