Substantial enhancements in toughness and ductility of Al–Mn0.6-Mg0.4 alloy: The impact of constrained groove pressing

The impacts of a sheet severe plastic deformation technique, namely constrained groove pressing (CGP), on the mechanical properties of Al–Mn0.6-Mg0.4 aluminum alloy are investigated in this research work. With this regard, a fractional factorial design of experiments (DOE) is employed to systematically examine the effects of various parameters, such as temperature, strain path, and strain rate, on the product ductility, toughness, and strength. Moreover, mechanical testing and microstructural analysis were conducted for different specimens, utilizing tensile testing, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Among various process parameters considered, the DOE analysis quantitatively indicated that the blank temperature, coolant, and strain path were the most influential variables affecting the mechanical characteristics of the deformed Al sheet. The findings also revealed that when the CGP operation was performed under optimal conditions, the material ductility and toughness respectively increased about 400% and 240%, being beneficial for the secondary forming operation and energy absorption applications. Finally, observations exhibited that, although grain coarsening took place during the process, reductions in the precipitate size and intensity, particularly those of the Al6(Fe,Mn) and α-Al(Fe,Mn)–Si phases, resulted in great enhancements in the product ductility and toughness.