Investigation of deep drawability of 6082 aluminium alloy sheet for automotive applications after various heat treatment conditions

The automotive industry requires more and more light materials with good strength and formability at the same time. The answer to this type of demands are, among others, aluminium alloys of the 6xxx series, which are characterized by a high strength-to-weight ratio and good corrosion resistance. Different material state can affect formability of AlMgSi sheets. These study analysed the influence of heat treatment conditions on the drawability of the sheet made of 6082 aluminium alloy. The studies on mechanical properties and plastic anisotropy for three orientations (0, 45, 90 degrees) with respect to the rolling direction were carried out. The highest plasticity was found for the material in the 0 temper condition. The influence of heat treatment conditions on the sheet drawability was analysed using the Erichsen, Engelhardt-Gross, Fukui and AEG cupping tests. It was found that the material state influenced the formability of the sheet. In the case of bulging, the sheet in the annealed state was characterized by greater drawability, and in the deep drawing process, greater formability was found for the naturally aged material.