Abstract
Effects of forging and mechanical properties of 6061 aluminum alloy wheel for automobiles were investigated in the present study. Microstructural and tensile characteristics of automobile wheel after hot forging process using dynamic screw press were analyzed to evaluate effect of metal flow on mechanical properties. The results showed advanced mechanical properties of 6061 alloy wheel because of $Mg_2Si$ precipitation by T6, elongated grain by forging, and work hardening by dense metal flow, etc. Hot compression tests were conducted in order to characterize high temperature compression deformation behaviors and microstructural variation in the range of $300{\sim}450^{\circ}C$, in the strain rate range of $10^{-3}{\sim}10^1\;sec^{-1}$. As strain rate increased, maximum compression stress increased but it was shown the reverse linear relation between temperature and maximum stress irrelevant to strain rate variation. On the other hand, temperature and yield stress didn't have any linear relation and its relation showed big deviation by a function of strain rate and test temperature.