Forming limit of 6061 aluminum alloy tube at cryogenic temperatures

Cryogenic medium pressure forming has been proposed to fabricate aluminum alloy complex tubular components. It is urgently needed to evaluate and predict the cryogenic forming limit of aluminum alloy tubes for the novel process. Cryogenic bulging test using different length-diameter ratios was proposed to test the forming limit in the tension-tension zone. A modified M-K model was established to rapidly predict the cryogenic forming limit, based on the dynamic hardening with deformation. Theoretical analysis and fracture characterization were implemented to reveal the improvement mechanism of cryogenic forming limit from the macroscopic and microscopic perspectives, respectively. The forming limit of AA6061 tube at −196 °C is approximately double that at room temperature, especially in the tension-tension zone, which contributes significantly to the forming of complex features under biaxial tension. The cryogenic limiting deformation ability increases gradually as the strain state changes from plane strain to biaxial tension. Under the biaxial tension condition of λ=1.2, the limiting strain can reach 0.52 at −196 °C. The cryogenic forming limit can be successfully predicted by the modified M-K model with a prediction deviation of only 4.35% at −196 °C. The enhanced cryogenic hardening ability promotes the improvement of deformation uniformity and delays the occurrence of uncoordinated deformation. Ductile fracture is main fracture mechanism at cryogenic temperature. The significantly increased ductile fracture characteristics contribute to the improved cryogenic forming limit. This research can provide important guidance for the cryogenic forming of aluminum alloy tubular components.