Numerical and experimental investigation of the deformation behavior during the accumulative back extrusion of an AZ91 magnesium alloy

In the present study, the finite element method (FEM) and an experimental investigation were performed during the accumulative back extrusion (ABE) processing of an AZ91 magnesium alloy in order to investigate the effects of the deformation ratio (= inner punch diameter/outer punch diameter) and die stroke (DS) on the plastic deformation behavior. The results showed that increasing the deformation ratio and DS led to better deformation homogeneity and more plastic strains. There are two distinct regions in the ABE processed samples containing low and high plastic strain areas and the metallurgical investigations showed that more grain refinement with a mean grain size of 1.5 μm takes place in high strain regions while the grain sizes are larger in other regions. A comparison between the FEM and experimental results of the required loads and developed microstructures showed good agreement.

► The accumulative back extrusion (ABE) was introduced as a high straining method suitable for AZ91.
► The strain distribution and deformation behavior during the ABE process using the finite element simulation was investigated.
► The deformation ratio and die stroke led to better deformation homogeneity and more plastic strains.