Predicting Elasto–Viscoplastic Behavior during Manufacturing and Operating Conditions of Aluminum Alloy AlCu4PbMg

Abstract Aluminum alloy AlCu4PbMg (also known as AA2030 or EN AW-2030) is recognized for its high mechanical properties at room temperature, high fatigue performance and excellent machining characteristics but can also be successfully employed as an alloy matrix in cast metal matrix composites. It is, therefore, often the material of choice in automotive or aeronautical industries. As it is important to make accurate predictions of structural behavior either for the manufacturing process or later during the operation of mechanical components, manufactured from the selected material, representative values of material parameters used in simulations are of essential significance. This is especially important in early development stages of products as the number of design-change iterations can be considerably reduced if the predictions of the structural behavior are credible. In this study, it is shown how representative values of material parameters used in elastoplastic and viscoplastic structural analyses are determined. Elastoplastic material properties follow the Ramberg–Osgood relation while viscoplastic material properties are modeled using the Norton law. As the manufacturing or the operation of AlCu4PbMg can take place at variable temperatures, it is discussed how the material parameters for elastoplasticity and viscoplasticity are determined and how they vary across the temperature range. Finally, it is shown how the optimal set of material parameters can be used in both simulations of cooling after casting and operation of a mechanical component.