Effect of Billet Preheating Temperature on Continuous Extrusion Forming of Al-Sr Alloy

Based on numerical simulation and process experiment, this study investigates the effect of billet preheating temperature on continuous extrusion forming of Al-Sr alloy and the microstructure and mechanical properties of products. The numerical simulation results show that the temperature starts to rise after the billet enters into the cavity during the continuous extrusion of Al-Sr alloy, and the maximum temperature appears at the die exit. Moreover, the maximum equivalent stress appears in the right-angle bending zone. The billet preheating temperature increases from 300 °C to 480 °C, the maximum temperature of billet in cavity increases from 483 °C to 512 °C and the temperature at the die exit increases from 493 °C to 522 °C. The experiment results show that the Al4Sr phase morphology in products changes from granular to blocky and increases in size. The tensile strength decreases from 114 MPa to 104 MPa, and the elongation increases from 8.4% to 10.5%.