Papers by Keyword: Pre-Ageing

Abstract: In this study, the effect of Mg/Si ratio, Cu content and/or pre-ageing treatment (e.g. 100 °C for 2 h and/or 200 °C for 20 s) on the stretch formability of 6xxx alloys was investigated through their influence on the work hardening and strain-rate hardening behaviour using tensile testing and forming limit diagram tests. The results showed that a high Mg/Si ratio, a low Cu content and/or the employment of pre-ageing could deteriorate the stretch formability due to the decrease in work hardening and/or strain rate hardening capabilities. Moreover, the stretch formability was observed to have an opposite correlation with the paint-bake response of the alloys studied.

Abstract: The present work investigates about the effect of pre-ageing on hardening behavior of Al-Mg-Si alloys processed by cryorolling and its age hardening behavior. Ageing conditions were examined at natural ageing for 2days and pre-ageing at 100 °C, 130°C and 170 °C for 4 hours, 2 hours and 30 minutes respectively. The observations revealed that, the pre-ageing before cryorolling is useful to enhance the dislocation density during cryorolling. However artificial ageing of cryorolled samples is not influenced much with pre-ageing. It is revealed that, maturing at room temperature of CR samples for 30 days has resulted better hardening response during artificial ageing.

Abstract: In this work, Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys for automotive body panels were designed and the related ageing behaviours were discussed in detail to help understand natural ageing and pre-ageing, as well as their influence on the subsequent paint-bake response. The clustering behavior of these Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys in different ageing conditions was investigated by hardness / yield strength and electrical conductivity testing. The microstructure was investigated by using Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique, along with Scanning Electron Microscopy with Backscattered Electron Detector (BSE). The results show that the paint bake response is strongly influenced by the pre-ageing and natural ageing conditions. Both alloys show serrated yielding in a short natural ageing condition. Immediate high-temperature pre-ageing treatments were found to give a promising hardening response during the subsequent artificial ageing/ paint baking at 170^oC.

Abstract: In this study we aim at combining the results from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) to study the early stages of phase decomposition in the age hardening alloy AA 6016. Samples are subjected to different periods of natural ageing or artificial pre-ageing at elevated temperature in order to produce different types of clusters and early stages of precipitation before age hardening commences. APT is utilized to detect clusters and identify their compositions, whereas TEM is applied to analyse and quantify number density and sizes of the particles during artificial ageing at 185°C. It is shown that the two techniques, TEM and APT, are complementary and a combined approach yields more detailed insight into the early stages of phase decomposition in age hardening 6xxx series alloys than possible by the sole use of either technique individually.