Numerical study on the effects of alloying variations on the crushing behaviour of an aluminium profile

The effects of variations in the chemical composition of an aluminium alloy AA6005 on the axial crushing and bending behaviour of a double chamber extruded profile are investigated by shell-based finite element analyses. A novel sequential modelling method, including nanostructure modelling, virtual tensile testing and localisation analyses, is used to determine the yield strength, work-hardening, and ductility of several variants of the AA6005 alloy. The data obtained from the models are used to calibrate the parameters of an isotropic elastic–plastic constitutive model and an uncoupled damage criterion. Explicit finite element analyses of axial crushing and three-point bending of the double chamber extruded profile are conducted for all variants of the AA6005 alloy in temper T6. By comparing the results of the finite element analyses with existing experimental data, the results reveal how variations in the chemical composition significantly influence the structural integrity of the extruded aluminium profile in axial crushing and bending. • A virtual calibration strategy for 6XXX aluminium alloys is proposed. • A fracture model for shell element analyses is calibrated without experiments. • The robustness of an extruded profle under several deformation modes is numerically studied.