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Hybrid Hot Forming of High-Strength Aluminum Alloys: Influence of Local Deformation on Post-Aging Mechanical Properties

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Abstract:

Hybrid hot sheet forming routes that integrate heat treatment within the forming tool offer a promising pathway to manufacture complex geometries from precipitation‑hardenable 7xxx aluminum alloys, but the resulting local deformation and thermal histories may generate pronounced spatial property variations. In this work, a gas-based hybrid forming process is demonstrated for EN AW‑7020 sheets, combining in‑tool solution heat treatment, isothermal forming at 500 °C with gas calibration and active pushing, followed by water quenching and artificial aging. A thermo‑mechanically coupled finite‑element model is used to identify regions of distinct equivalent plastic strain in a representative demonstrator geometry and to guide local specimen extraction. Tensile tests from low‑ and high‑strain regions reveal clear location-dependent stress‑strain responses after aging, with a reduction in ultimate tensile strength exceeding 20 % in the more heavily deformed zones compared with reference material. Microstructural observations by optical microscopy indicate differences in grain morphology between component regions, consistent with the non‑uniform thermo‑mechanical history. The results highlight the need to account for local strain and process history when designing hybrid‑formed 7xxx components and motivate targeted strategies for controlling property gradients through process parameter tuning and tailored post-forming heat treatment.

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Periodical:

Solid State Phenomena (Volume 389)

Pages:

171-180

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4028/p-OHzO30

Citation:

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Online since:

April 2026

Authors:

Max Gröbel*, Karl J. Tilly, Emad Scharifi, Junhe Lian

Keywords:

Gas-Based Hot Forming, Precipitation Hardening Aluminum, Sheet Metal Forming

Funder:

The publication of this article was funded by the RWTH Aachen University 10.13039/501100007210

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Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

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* - Corresponding Author

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