Mechanical properties of aluminum alloys strengthened by high-pressure torsion, high-pressure sliding and cold-rolling

To realize the effects of alloy composition and processing conditions on the mechanical properties of the age-hardening aluminum alloys strengthened by cold-working processes, high-pressure torsion (HPT), high-pressure sliding (HPS) and cold-rolling were applied to the solution-treated aluminum alloys with various alloy compositions. Tensile testing was carried out using a tensile test piece with the same gauge part morphology regardless of cold-working methods. In any alloy system, the specimens subjected to the cold-working process showed higher strength than the aged specimens. In 2000 series alloys, the increase of copper and magnesium contents did not result in higher strength, but in lower ductility. In 6000 series alloys, both strength and ductility were improved with increasing of copper content. In 7000 series alloys, increasing the zinc content increased the strength, but significantly reduced the ductility in some cold-working processes. In any cold-working process, ultimate tensile strength showed a good correlation with nominal solute content. The higher solute content resulted in higher strength but in lower ductility.