Investigation on the plastic work-heat conversion coefficient of 7075-T651 aluminum alloy during an impact process based on infrared temperature measurement technology

The plastic work-heat conversion coefficient is one key parameter for studying the work-heat conversion under dynamic deformation of materials. To explore this coefficient of 7075-T651 aluminum alloy under dynamic compression, dynamic compression experiments using the Hopkinson bar under four groups of strain rates were conducted, and the temperature signals were measured by constructing a transient infrared temperature measurement system. According to stress versus strain data as well as the corresponding temperature data obtained through the experiments, the influences of the strain and the strain rate on the coefficient of plastic work converted to heat were analyzed. The experimental results show that the coefficient of plastic work converted to heat of 7075-T651 aluminum alloy is not a constant at the range of 0.85–1 and is closely related to the strain and the strain rate. The change of internal structure of material under high strain rate reduces its energy storage capacity, and makes almost all plastic work convert into heat.