The Effect of α-Al(MnCr)Si Dispersoids on Activation Energy and Workability of Al-Mg-Si-Cu Alloys during Hot Deformation

Abstract

The hot deformation behaviors of homogenized direct-chill (DC) casting 6061 aluminum alloys and Mn/Cr-containing aluminum alloys denoted as WQ1 were studied systematically by uniaxial compression tests at various deformation temperatures and strain rates. Hot deformation behavior of WQ1 alloy was remarkably changed compared to that of 6061 alloy with the presence of α-Al(MnCr)Si dispersoids. The hyperbolic-sine constitutive equation was employed to determine the materials constants and activation energies of both studied alloys. The evolution of the activation energies of two alloys was investigated on a revised Sellars’ constitutive equation. The processing maps and activation energy maps of both alloys were also constructed to reveal deformation stable domains and optimize deformation parameters, respectively. Under the influence of α dispersoids, WQ1 alloy presented a higher activation energy, around 40 kJ/mol greater than 6061 alloy’s at the same deformation conditions. Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) is main dynamic softening mechanism in safe processing domain of 6061 alloy, while dynamic recovery (DRV) was main dynamic softening mechanism in WQ1 alloy due to pinning effect of α-Al(MnCr)Si dispersoids. α dispersoids can not only resist DRX but also increase power required for deformation of WQ1 alloy. The microstructure analysis revealed that the flow instability was attributed to the void formation and intermetallic cracking during hot deformation of both alloys.