Abstract:
The quenching process of 7050 aluminum alloy thick plate with size of 630 mm×300 mm×80 mm was simulated by using Deform 3D finite element software. The distribution of temperature and residual stress were studied, and the effect of water temperature of quenching on the quenching process was compared and analyzed. The results show that the temperature is not uniformly distributed during the quenching process. At the beginning of quenching, the surface temperature reduces rapidly and the cooling rate is about 131.5 ℃/s, while the internal temperature reduces slowly and the cooling rate is about 33.2 ℃/s. The whole plate can be solid-dissolved. The surface of the thick plate presents tensile stress while the interior is compressively stressed at the beginning of quenching. After quenching, the interior becomes tensely stressed with a maximum tensile stress of 131 MPa while the surface is compressed. With the increase of water temperature of quenching, the cooling rate in the sensitive area of quenching decreases, and the residual stress in the thick plate decreases slightly. Supersaturated solid solution can be obtained by water quenching at 25−80 ℃, and the residual stress is slightly decreased by water quenching at 80 ℃.