Enhanced formability of age-hardenable aluminium alloys by incremental forming of solution-treated blanks

The influence of thermal pre-treatment on the formability of a precipitation-hardening aluminium alloy AA-2024 has been studied for three different heat treatment conditions: annealed (O-temper), solution treated and quenched (W-temper) and solution heat treated, quenched and then cold worked (T-temper). The maximum draw angle has been determined and the geometrical accuracy of specific SPIF formed parts has been compared. It is found that the maximum forming angles of the blank formed in O-temper and W-temper conditions show a respective 41% and 32% increase to those of the T-temper condition (initial blank). The hardness of the material reduces significantly after annealing, while SPIF parts formed from W-temper blanks regain their initial hardness after natural aging.status: publishe