Formability Evaluation of Aluminum Alloy 6061-T6 Sheet at Room and Elevated Temperatures

The formability of aluminum alloy 6061-T6 sheet was evaluated, and the effects of temperature and strain rate on the formability were analyzed. Uniaxial tension tests and Nakajima tests were conducted at room temperature to obtain the constitutive parameters of AA 6061-T6 and establish the forming limit diagram (FLD), respectively. Moreover, uniaxial tension tests were performed at the temperatures ranging between 180 and 380 °C and the strain rates ranging between 0.0005 and 0.05 s⁻¹, and the constitutive equations of AA 6061-T6 were established. Nakajima tests at temperature 330 °C and two forming speeds (15 and 150 mm/min) were carried out to evaluate the formability of AA6061-T6 at elevated temperatures. In consequence, FLDs under different forming conditions were established and compared. Experimental results showed that the forming limit of AA 6061-T6 increased with the increasing temperature and the decreasing forming speed. The present investigation presented the formability of AA 6061-T6 under different forming conditions, which provided a guidance to design the warm/hot forming of AA 6061 sheet. The FLDs and constitutive equations established through these experiments will be used to predict the forming defects in the forming process design.