Effects of various homogenisation treatments on the hot workability of ingot aluminium alloy AA2014

AA2014 aluminium alloy has high strength but very low ductility, hence low workability. In order to improve the hot workability of this ingot aluminium alloy, different homogenisation conditions have been tested, such as 400, 440, 480, 500 and 510°C for 4, 8, 16 and 24 h, followed by various cooling and strain rates. The effect of homogenisation temperature, time and cooling rate on the workability has been investigated. Hot tensile and torsion tests have been carried out to show the harmony between each other and determine hot workability behaviour. From the experimental work, the data have been converted into equivalent true stress–strain curves. It was observed that the optimum hot ductility for the alloy occurs at the strain rate of 1×10−3 s−1 for the specimens that were homogenised at 500°C for 24 h, then cooled in the furnace at a rate of 12 K h−1.