Deformation and fracture of AMC under different heat treatment conditions and its suitability for incremental sheet forming

By evaluating the deformation and fracture mechanisms of a 6092Al alloy metal matrix composite reinforced with 17.5p vol. % SiC particles (6092Al/SiCp), this paper investigates the applicability of using incremental sheet forming (ISF) process to form the 6092Al/SiCp aluminium matrix composite (AMC) under different heat treatment conditions. Tensile tests were carried out at different strain rates to study the microstructure and topography of the 6092Al/SiCp sheet by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The tensile test results and the morphology of the fracture showed that the 6092Al/SiCp to T6 condition has low elongation to fracture (0.08), whilst much improved elongation can be achieved after annealing to O-condition. A series of ISF tests were carried out to form 6092Al/SiCp sheet into a truncated hyperbolic shape with different ISF process parameters. At T6 condition, ISF testing showed unsatisfactory results for the 6092Al/SiCp with a low wall angle (31.2ο) to fracture and a significant amount of springback. After annealing to O-condition, a much increased wall angle was achieved with reduced springback due to the enhanced ductility of the 6092Al/SiCp material. Microstructural and topographic evaluation of the 6092Al/SiCp parts formed by ISF allowed a detailed characterisation of brittle and ductile fractures for different heat treatments. The obtained ISF results and evaluation enabled the recommendation of optimum ISF operational windows for 6092Al/SiCp materials.