Effect of grain orientation on aluminum relocation at incipient melt conditions

Aluminum is commonly used for structural applications in the aerospace industry because of its high strength in relation to its weight. It is necessary to understand the mechanical response of aluminum structures at elevated temperatures such as those experienced in a fire. Aluminum alloys exhibit many complicated behaviors that require further research and understanding, such as aluminum combustion, oxide skin formation and creep behavior. This paper discusses the effect of grain orientation on aluminum deformation subjected to heating at incipient melt conditions. Experiments were conducted by applying a vertical compressive force to aluminum alloy 7075 block test specimens. Compression testing was done on test specimens with the applied load on the long transverse and short transverse orientations. Results showed that the grain orientation significantly influences aluminum's strength and mode of failure.