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Retrogression heat treatments were developed to improve the formability and mechanical behavior of age-hardenable aluminum wrought products in both the aerospace and automobile industries. The heat treatments can provide an improvement in the flanging and trimming behavior of age-hardenable aluminum sheet alloys. The present paper reviews the effect of retrogression heat treatments on flanging by demonstrating reduced springback and increased flange length; on trimming by showing the elimination of metal slivers; and on shape fixability through a three point deflection test. This work should aid in the development of improved aluminum alloys and modified forming processes to enable the increased use of aluminum sheet products.

Warm forming offers the potential to produce complex aluminum components at high production volumes. The present paper evaluates the warm forming potential of seven different commercial aluminum alloys; 2008-T4, 5454-H32, 5754-O, 6111-T4, GZ45-T4, and two 5083 alloys. The mechanical behavior of these alloys is studied between 25°C and 300°C, and compared with a variety of materials from the literature, especially 5182, which has been well characterized. Analysis of total elongation, strain rate sensitivity, and strain localization demonstrate that 5083 and 5754 have promising warm forming performance.