Analysis of the strain behaviour of a friction stir processed superplastic aluminium alloy

Superplastic forming is a well-established process by which very large, very complex shaped and also multi-sheets components can be manufactured in a single step. Combining this process with a suitable joining technique is of great industrial interest. In this work the strain behaviour of a friction stir processed aluminium alloy was investigated through free inflation tests. Principal parameters of the friction stir process were changed and free inflation tests were performed to assess the formability of the processed sheet. A strong influence of the friction stir process parameters was recorded on the formability of the processed material. Only a specified set of parameters assured a strain behaviour close to the one of the base material