Tensile, Compressive, and Flexural Behaviors of Al5052-H32 in a Wide Range of Strain Rates and Temperatures

An experimental investigation on the deformation behaviors of the aluminum alloy Al5052-H32 is presented under tensile, compressive, and flexure loads at different strain rates and temperatures. Quasi-static tests on tension and compression are performed using an electromechanical universal testing machine in the strain rate range 0.0001–0.1 s−1 at a room temperature of 25°C. Flexural tests (three-point bending) are conducted using the same universal testing machine at different crosshead speeds (1–200 mm/min) for different span lengths (90, 120, and 150 mm) and orientations (flat and transverse). Split Hopkinson tensile bar and split Hopkinson pressure bar setups are used for dynamic tests on tension (650–1,300 s−1) and compression (450–2,500 s−1), respectively. The compression tests are conducted at three different aspect ratios (0.5, 1, and 1.5) of specimens to study the effects of their geometry on the compressive behavior of the alloy. The quasi-static tensile tests are repeated at different elevated temperatures (250, 350, and 450°C) at a constant strain rate of 0.001 s−1 and a mixed brittle–ductile fracture mode is observed. The mechanism of the fracture surfaces of the broken tensile specimens at different temperatures are determined using a scanning electron microscope. The aforementioned aluminum alloy is found to be negatively sensitive to strain rates at different loads. Typical stress–strain curves of serration phenomenon are presented and it is found that the alloy is susceptible to Portevin–Le Chatelier effects.