Abstract: It has now been found that alloys of the type that are the cheapest and most widely used for the production of formed components may also be provided with superplastic properties. Such alloys may comprise a selected non-heat treatable base material together with dynamic recrystallization modifying additives to achieve fine structure. The base material may be aluminium of normal commercial purity and the additives 0.4% to 2% iron and 0.4 to 2% silicon; or the base material may be aluminium and 0.75 to 2.5% manganese and the additive 0.4 to 1% iron; or the base material may be aluminium and 0.25 to 0.75% manganese with no additive; or the base material may be aluminium and 1 to 4% magnesium and the additive 0.25 to 0.75% manganese. In all these cases at least one of the elements Zr, Nb, Ta and Ni must also be present in an amount of at least 0.3% substantially all of which is in solid solution and the total amount of said elements not exceeding 1%.

Abstract: Aluminum-base wrought products containing the elements normally present in either non-heat treatable aluminium-base alloys of at least 5%Mg or at least 1%Zn or heat-treatable aluminium-base alloys of one or more of the elements Cu, Mg, Zn, Si, Li and Mn in known combinations, and at least one of the elements Zr, Nb, Ta and Ni in a total amount of at least 0.30% substantially all of which is present in solid solution, are superplastically deformable. The remainder of the superplastically deformable product may be the normal impurities and incidental elements known to be incorporated in heat-treatable and non-heat treatable aluminium-base alloys. Advantageously the alloy of the wrought product contains at least 0.3%Zr and preferably at least 0.40%Zr.