Superplastic behaviour of annealed AA 8090 Al-Lialloy

High temperature flow behaviour and microstructural evolution were investigated in an annealed AA 8090 Al-Li alloy over the temperature range 623-803 K and strain rate range similar to6 x 10(6)-3x 10(2) s(-1). Stress-strain rate data, obtained using a differential strain rate test technique and plotted in log-log scale, exhibited three regions I, II, and M, with increasing strain rate. In these regions, the values of strain rate sensitivity index m and the activation energy for deformation were determined to be 0.17, 0.43, and 0.17; and 758.8, 93.3, and 184.3 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The stress-strain curves obtained from constant strain rate tests exhibited flow hardening at lower strain rates and higher temperatures whereas flow softening occurred at higher strain rates and lower temperatures. The microstructural evolution revealed the dominance of grain growth under the former conditions and dynamic recrystallisation under the latter conditions. Ductility and m were found to increase with temperature, with the maximum values of 402% and 0.55, respectively, at a temperature 803 K and strain rate 2 x 10(-4) s(1). (C) 2003 IoM Communications Ltd. Maney for the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining