Experiment and Simulation on Strengthening Behavior of Al-Cu-Mn Aluminum Alloy by Sheet Hydroforming

摘要

High performance aluminum alloys are widely used in the domain of aviation and aerospace to manufacture some main structures and key components.This paper, both experiments and numerical simulation were carried out to study the strengthening behavior of Al-Cu-Mn aluminum alloy during sheet hydroforming.The mechanical properties of metal sheet were studied by tensile test and micro hardness measuring.The strain value was studied and compared between experimental and simulation results.Test results show that the plasticity of Al-Cu-Mn aluminum alloy in solution state is better than that in original and aging state.Furthermore, the strain values of formed parts in different direction vary a lot due to the anisotropy.The micro hardness of formed parts increased a lot compared with that in T6 state and the precipitates are transformed from coherent θ" to semi-coherent θ' precipitates.This investigation shows that the strength of Al-Cu-Mn aluminum alloy can be improved obviously by sheet hydroforming and heat treatment.