Effect of Equal-Channel Angular Pressing and Targeted Heat Treatment on Aluminum AA7075 Sheet Metal

In this study, equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) was used to improve the mechanical properties of Aluminum AA7075 sheet metal. Various approaches were tested for ECAP route C, involving either channel geometry, forming temperature, or post-treatment time. The specimens were evaluated by tensile testing and compared with reference specimens in artificially aged T6 conditions. The goal was to optimize the time- and energy-consuming artificial aging procedure. The results show that a 75% reduction in artificial aging time still leads to an increase in yield strength due to ECAP. In addition, the elongation at fracture is strongly influenced by ECAP. Furthermore, tensile tests were performed on a resistance-heated test bench to determine its potential for hot forming processes. These results show that the use of ECAP with sheet metal enables efficient production of high-strength aluminum and thus contributes to a more sustainable production.