Analysis of processing map and parameters optimization during hot extrusion of 17 vol.% SiCp/2009Al composite

Abstract

Hot extrusion process can improve the mechanical properties of materials. However, due to the presence of SiC particles, SiCp/Al composites are prone to fracture damage in the extrusion process. To determine the optimal processing parameters, the processing maps of 17 vol.% SiCp/2009Al composite were established using power dissipation rate and Murty instability criterion. Furthermore, taking aluminum canning into consideration, a three-dimensional macroscopic hot extrusion finite element model of SiCp/Al composite was constructed. The influences of initial temperature, canning morphology and canning thickness on extrusion properties were predicted, and verified by comparison of processing maps and experiments. The optimal extrusion parameters for SiCp/2009Al composite are located within the window of temperature, 450–475 °C and strain rate, 0.001–0.004 s−1 or 0.6–1 s−1. Additionally, the properties of the SiCp/Al composite can be greatly improved by hot extrusion with a suitable canning. Of these, the half canning finish the extrusion task faster, but the extrusion properties under the bottom canning are the best. When the ratio of the canning thickness to the diameter of the workpiece is about 0.17, the effective stress, strain and damage are minimum. The work performed in this research, for the first time, provides quantitative evaluations of process parameters on the hot deformation of SiCp/Al composite, which enables to provide useful guides for hot extrusion parameters selection of SiCp/Al composite.