EFFECTS OF VARIOUS HOMOGENIZATION TREATMENTS ON THE HOT WORKABILITY OF INGOT ALUMINUM-ALLOY AA2014

AA2014 aluminium alloy has high strength but very low ductility, hence low workability. In order to improve the hot workability of this ingo t aluminium alloy, different homogenisation conditions have been teste d, such as 400, 440, 480, 500 and 510 degrees C for 4, 8, 16 and 24 h, followed by various cooling and strain rates. The effect of homogenis ation temperature, time and cooling rate on the workability has been i nvestigated. Rot tensile and torsion tests have been carried out to sh ow the harmony between each other and determine hot workability behavi our. From the experimental work, the data have been converted into equ ivalent true stress-strain curves. It was observed that the optimum ho t ductility for the alloy occurs at the strain rate of 1 x 10(-3) s(-1 ) for the specimens that were homogenised at 500 degrees C for 24 h, t hen cooled in the furnace at a rate of 12 K h(-1). (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience S.A. All rights reserved.