A new constitutive model and hot processing map of 5A06 aluminum alloy based on high-temperature rheological behavior and higher-order gradients

Abstract

To develop a high-precision constitutive model and hot processing map for 5A06 aluminum alloy, the hot deformation behavior of the alloy was investigated through isothermal compression experiments and microstructure analysis experiments, which were conducted at temperatures ranging from 573 K to 773 K and at strain rates ranging from 0.01 to 10 s−1. Firstly, a new constitutive model, which is based on the partial derivatives of the experimental flow data and does not significantly increase the material parameters, was proposed. Secondly, a comparison and analysis of the predictive accuracies of both the new model and the classic model were conducted. Finally, the new constitutive model was used to construct the hot processing maps of the 5A06 aluminum alloy, and the optimal hot processing parameters were validated through metallographic experiments. The results show that a high-precision constitutive model can be constructed with a small number of material parameters by considering the second-order approximation between logarithmic stress and temperature, as well as the third-order approximation between logarithmic stress and logarithmic strain rate. The mean square errors of the new model were significantly lower than those of the Arrhenius model and Hense-Spittle model for all strain rates and temperatures. There were significant differences in the prediction accuracy of the AH and HS models at different temperatures and strain rates, indicating their accuracy was dependent on temperature and strain rate. The coefficients of the new model were significantly higher than those of the AH and HS models. Moreover, the proximity of predicted values to experimental values was ranked in descending order as follows: new model, AH model, and HS model. The energy dissipation rate is relatively high when the strain rate is lower than 10 s-1 and the temperature is higher than 623 K. The instability factor is larger than zero for all conditions except when the strain rate is equal to 10 s−1. The optimal hot working temperature range for 5A06 aluminum alloy is 623–700 K, and the strain rate should be in the range of 0.01 s−1 to 1 s−1. The microstructure analysis matches the predicted results from hot processing maps, which can guide the hot working process of 5A06 aluminum alloy.