Influence of crystal orientations on the bendability of an Al-Mg-Si alloy

Abstract

Aluminum alloy sheets are being increasingly used to reduce the weight of an automotive body. Al-Mg-Si alloys have been used because they have favorable properties for automotive bodies. One of the important requirements of these alloys is the ability to resist fracture while bending. In this study, the influence of crystal orientations on the bendability of an Al-Mg-Si alloy is investigated using single-crystal specimens from the viewpoint of the shear band formation. The bendability and the formation of shear bands are clearly dependent on the crystal orientation, and (001) //ND-oriented specimens exhibit the highest bendability. The formation of denser shear bands is observed with a decrease in bendability. The shear bands behaved as the origin of the cracks and the propagation path. It is concluded that the inhibition of the formation of shear bands by controlling the orientations is very important to improve the bendability. Moreover, there exists a relation between the Taylor factor and the bendability because the bendability tended to decrease with an increase in the Taylor factor. ©2010 The Japan Institute of Light Metals.