Mechanical properties of a 7075-T6 aluminum alloy at elevated temperatures

In this study, the mechanical properties of a 7075-T6 aluminum alloy were investigated experimentally and numerically. Tensile tests were carried out at various temperatures (25-400 degrees C) and cross-head speeds (1-200 mm min(-1)). The results showed that the tensile strength of the aluminum alloy decreased with increasing deformation temperature. Also, the temperature had more effect on the mechanical properties than on the strain rate. The fracture morphology of test specimens was investigated using a scanning electron microscope. The bending behavior of aluminum alloy at elevated temperatures was investigated with finite element simulations. It obtained a good correlation with the validation study, and it can be predicted as the high-temperature behavior of aluminum alloy with finite element simulations. The analysis results show that the temperature dramatically affects the load-carrying capacity of aluminum. The load-carrying capacity and the absorbed energy values of aluminum alloy decreased with the increasing temperature on bending behavior.