Hot Tensile Behavior of Superplastic and Commercial AA5083 Sheets at High Temperature and Strain Rate

Since the last two decades, the automotive industry has dedicated an increasing attention to the manufacturing of sheet components made of high-resistant aluminium alloys; the superplastic AA5083 grade is currently utilized in both the conventional superplastic forming and the recently patented quick plastic forming, which assures higher productivity compared to that of superplastic forming, while the commercial AA5083 grade is rarely employed. The objective of the paper is to compare the hot tensile behaviour of commercial and fine-grained AA5083 sheets when processed at high temperature and strain rate, which are typical of hot stamping processes. The results are presented and commented in terms of flow stress, anisotropy, strain at failure, microstructural and hardness features as a function of temperature and strain rate. On the basis of the obtained results, the set of optimal forming conditions for the two grades is identified.