Evaluation of Formability and Mechanical Characteristic for Hot Forming Quenching in Sheet Forming of Al6061 Alloy

In aluminum sheet metal forming, the conventional forming methods of T4 or T6 heat-treated sheets result in low formability and dimensional accuracy. This study suggests a new forming method for aluminum sheets called as hot forming quenching (HFQ) that solves the problems faced in the conventional method. HFQ combines the heat treatment and forming processes through the forming die during the quenching of a solid solution. To evaluate the application of HFQ to the sheet forming of aluminum, an Erichsen and V-bending test are performed in this study to measure the dimensional accuracy and formability, which are then compared with those of the conventional forming method. Furthermore, the strength and hardness of the products formed by HFQ are measured to confirm the degradation in mechanical properties compared with the conventional forming method, which shows the validity of the application of HFQ to aluminum sheet metal forming.