Role of localized heating on the workability of powder metallurgical Al–4% Ti components in cold compression

In the present work, localised heating has been adopted at the damage site of the cold upset materials and the role of this mechanism on the workability has been analysed. Cylindrical specimens containing 96% aluminium and 4% titanium were prepared through powder metallurgy technique with an aspect ratio (height to diameter) of 1 by suitable pressures. A series of cold upsetting test was conducted and the material properties for various preforms initial relative densities (80%, 85% and 90%) were determined under the stable strain rate. The flow of metals was analysed using a finite element tool and it was observed that the metal flow starts from near the centre zone to the equatorial zone and the damage happens in the outer position because of more amount of accumulated stresses and the pores. These stresses and pores decrease the workability of the final component. Hence, the present research is intended to reduce the stresses and minimize the pores by applying a localized heating (100 °C–250 °C) at the equatorial sites of the components and thereby increasing the workability of the material. Also, heating selectively at the equatorial site of the workpiece improves the workability due to change in grain size and it was noticed that the grain size of the developed porous preforms was high for the higher heating conditions due to the growth of the grains. Therefore, the localized heating adopted in this work is a superior method to enhance the workability of the powder samples and this novel technique could be useful in improving the workability of the structural components that have extensive applications in the automobile and aerospace industries.