The effect of transition elements on the superplastic behavior of Al–Mg alloys

Abstract

Research on the high temperature superplastic deformation behavior of Al–Mg–X (X: Cr; Zr; Mn) alloys was carried out and the effect of transition elements and thermomechanical processing on the microstructure and superplastic behavior of Al–Mg–X alloys were also examined. In Al–Mg–Cr alloy, which was thermomechanically processed with an intermediate annealing, the maximum elongation (close to 730%) was observed at 530 °C. The strain rate at which the maximum elongation occurred was faster in Al–Mg–Cr (1×10 −3 s −1) alloy than in Al–Mg–Mn (1×10 −4 s −1) alloy. The observation of the maximum elongation at a lower temperature (500 °C) in Al–Mg–Zr alloy may be associated with the finer size of dispersoids in this alloy. The superplastic behavior of Al–Mg–X alloys was found to be greatly influenced by the nature of intermetallic particles.