Abstract
The authors present a study on the hot formability of 7020 aluminium alloy. Isothermal hot compression tests of solid cylindrical specimens were performed in the temperature range of 300–550°C and the strain rate range of 0·001–10 s–1. Stress–strain curves obtained from the experiment data are fitted using the Sellars–Tegart constitutive equation to obtain the constitutive parameters. Using the dynamic material model, the authors develop a processing map based on the flow stress data. The map shows that the parameters suitable for hot working are a temperature range of 450–550°C and a strain rate range of 0·001–0·1 s–1. This parameter range is where the efficiency of power dissipation is above 27% and where dynamic recrystallisation occurs. Unstable regions to be avoided in hot forming are deduced from an instability condition. The processing map is validated by comparing the microstructures of deformed compression specimens.
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