Potential of twin-belt-cast EN AW 6082 blanks for the manufacture of wishbone suspension forgings

Twin-belt-cast (TBC) strip is offered as forging stock for relatively flat, 2-dimensional forgings such as wishbone suspension. When forged, the fragmented eutectic cells of the TBC blank and the very fine precipitates are aligned in the forging direction with a section grain structure where much of the section is predominantly fibrous. The fibrous grains of the forged component undergo recrystallization and grain growth and are finally replaced by elongated grains in the plastic flow direction during solution heat treatment. Selection of the solutionizing temperature is claimed to be critical. The yield and tensile strength, elongation and hardness all decrease steadily with increasing solutionizing temperature due to grain coarsening. However, both the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the TBC EN AW 6082 blank compare favourably with the extruded forging stock, in spite of coarse grains across the entire section of the forging. After all, both suffer from coarse grains on the surface of the forging. It is thus concluded that the TBC EN AW blanks can be used for the manufacture of relatively flat, 2-dimensional automotive parts such as wishbone suspension components.