Room Temperature Stamping of High-Strength Aluminum for Lightweight Structural Automotive Components

Nasim, Wahaz; Kulkarni, Shank S.; Soulami, Ayoub; Efe, Mert; Rohatgi, Aashish

doi:10.1007/s11665-023-08810-8

Room Temperature Stamping of High-Strength Aluminum for Lightweight Structural Automotive Components

Journal Article · Thu Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-023-08810-8· OSTI ID:2479915

Nasim, Wahaz ^[1]; Kulkarni, Shank S. ^[2]; ^[3]; Efe, Mert ^[3]; ^[3]

Saint-Gobain Research North America, Northborough, MA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

The use of aluminum (Al) 7xxx series in automobile structural applications is limited by factors such as its low room-temperature formability in T6 temper and the need for off-line artificial aging to regain high strength if it is formed in soft temper. In this study, two tempers were established that enable Al 7075 blanks to be room temperature stamped to create side impact beams that achieve near-T6 strength without post-forming artificial aging. It is shown that natural aging at room temperature, after solution treatment and before stamping, provides an alternative to high temperature pre-aging and hot stamping techniques in 7xxx alloys. Both tempers enabled room temperature stamping of the beams without cracking, indicating good formability. The Al beams were ~38% lighter than the benchmark boron steel beam. Further, the hardness in the low-deformation regions of the stamped Al beams were within 88% of a conventional 7075-T6 sheet. Paint-bake treatment of the beams appeared to cause over aging, lowering the ultimate tensile strength and ductility. Finite element three point bending simulations of the beams showed higher bending force and energy absorption before failure for the Al 7075 showing good promise for 7xxx series Al as a light-weight alternative to steel beams.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2479915

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA--169384

Journal Information:: Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, Journal Name: Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 33; ISSN 1059-9495

Publisher:: SpringerCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
aging
aluminum
aluminum alloy
finite element method
formability
modeling and simulation
paint-bake
sheet metal formability
stamping

Room Temperature Stamping of High-Strength Aluminum for Lightweight Structural Automotive Components

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