Simulations of isothermal ECAE for magnesium alloy using FEM software and experimental validations

It is important to research the effect of die structures parameters for equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) on the deformation behavior, strain distribution and loads requirement. ECAE is an extrusion process widely researched for its potential to produce ultra-fine grained microstructures in magnesium alloys. In this paper some three-dimensional (3D) geometric models with different corner angles 90° and 135° and with fillets or not in the bottom die were designed by UG software. Some important isothermal process parameters were regarded as basal conditions used in DEFORM™-3D software such as temperatures, the friction coefficient, and extrusion speed. The deformation heterogeneity of ECAE was analyzed from the simulation and experimental results. The deformation homogeneity caused by the EACE die with fillets was improved comparing with the die without fillets. But the cumulative maximum strains decreased. The requirement extrusion force decreased with the fillets and channel angle increase in ECAE die. From the simulation and experimental results the smaller channel angle can obtain the higher cumulative strains and produce tinier subgrains. The loads of top die decrease mainly with fillets. The ECAE die with the channel angle 90° and fillets is good to improve the plasticity and deformation homogeneity of the billets if the extrusion force is enough. It was demonstrated that the simulation results were in good agreement with experimental results and the theoretical calculation.