Processing and characterization of aluminium alloys or composites exhibiting low-temperature or high-rate superplasticity

Wide applications of superplastic forming still face several problems, one is the high temperature that promotes grain growth, another is the low forming rate that makes economically inefficient. The current study is intended to develop a series of fabrication and thermomechanical processing, so as to result in materials possessing either low temperature superplasticity (LTSP) or high rate superplasticity (HRSP). The former has been achieved in the cast Al alloys, while the latter was accomplished in powder-metallurgy aluminium matrix composites. The aluminium alloys, after special thermomechanical processes, exhibited LTSP from 300 to 450 degree C with elongations varying from 300 to 700 %. The LTSP sheets after 700 % elongation at 350 degree C still possessed fine grains 3.7 μm size and narrow surface solute depletion zones 11 μm in with, resulting in a post-SP T6 strength of 500 MPa, significantly higher than that of the HTSP superplasticity alloys tested at 525 degree C or above. Meanwhile, it was found that LTSP materials may be transferred into HTSP materials simply by adding a preloading at 300-400 degree C for a small amount of work. As for the endeavor in making HRSP materials, 2024Al/SiC, 6061Al/SiC and Al/Al3Ti systems processed by powder metallurgy or mechanical alloying methods are under investigation. The average sizes of the reinforcing SiC or A13Ti particles, as well as the grain size are all around 1 μm. The aluminium composites have exhibited HRSP at 525-620 degree C and 10-2-10-1 s-l, with elongations varying from 150 to 350 %. This ultimate goal is to produce an alloy or composite exhibiting low temperature and high strain rate superplasticity (LT and HRSP). (author)