Simulation and experimental study on the inhomogeneity of mechanical properties of aluminum alloy 7050 plate

Abstract

In this work, the finite element method simulated the symmetrical hot rolling process of 7050 aluminum alloy plate. The simulation result show that different thickness layers of 7050 aluminum alloy plate experienced different temperature and strain history in the rolling process, which leads to the difference of recrystallization fraction along the thickness direction and affects the distribution of grain size. The grain size of 7050 aluminum alloy rolled plate was obtained by the metallographic test, which was in good agreement with the simulation result. The true stress-strain curve and yield strength of 7050 aluminum alloy were acquired by hot compression test. Subsequently, a prediction model of yield strength was constructed based on the Hall–Patch relationship. The result show that the predicted inhomogeneity reached 8.7%, and the difference was about 5.3% compared with that of the experimental value.