Abstract
Aluminium alloys are nowadays applied in light weight constructions of many areas, e.g. transportation. Several manufacturing technologies are used in production chains of aluminium components. For improvements in strength heat treatments are carried out with aluminium alloys (precipitation hardening) as well as with steels (martensitic hardening). Besides the intended microstructures and properties, dimension and shape changes as well as residual stresses of the components are heat treatment results. Simulation tools based on the finite element method help to predict heat treatment results without extensive tests. Among other inputs one necessary preβrequisite is a detailed database for the material. This database must contain the fundamental material parameters like heat conductivity, specific heat capacity, density, thermal expansion coefficient, modulus of elasticity, PoissonΒ΄s ratio and strain hardening, all of them depending on phases and temperature. Further, models for phase transformations and precipitation processes must be implemented. For steels heat treatment simulations of complex components are already possible. Some heat treatment parameters and material parameters of steels and aluminium alloys differ significantly. Aluminium alloys usually exhibit lower solution annealing temperatures, higher cooling rates, higher heat conductivity, higher thermal expansion coefficient, lower modulus of elasticity and lower strength. Further, the material database is partially missing for aluminium alloys, especially precipitation models. Exemplarily heat treatment simulations focused on the material parameters of aluminium alloys will be presented and similarities as well as differences compared to steels will be discussed.