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. 2025 Jul 3;18(13):3166.
doi: 10.3390/ma18133166.

Dedicated Material Models of EN AW-7021 Alloy for Numerical Modeling of Industrial Extrusion of Profiles

Konrad Błażej Laber  1 , Jacek Madura  2 , Dariusz Leśniak  2 , Maciej Balcerzak  2 , Marek Bogusz  2
Affiliations

Dedicated Material Models of EN AW-7021 Alloy for Numerical Modeling of Industrial Extrusion of Profiles

Konrad Błażej Laber et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

In this paper, dedicated material models were developed and verified for three melts of EN AW-7021 alloy, differing in zinc and magnesium content, for tube extrusion conditions. Based on the plastometric tests, it was found that in the studied range of strain parameters, the analyzed melts of the same aluminum alloy showed different sensitivity to strain rate and temperature. In addition, a significant effect of magnesium and zinc content on the plasticity of the tested material was observed. Therefore, dedicated material models describing stress changes were developed for each melt analyzed. The models were then implemented into the material database of the QForm-Extrusion® program, which was used for the theoretical analysis of the industrial extrusion process. In order to verify the results of numerical calculations, industrial tests of the extrusion process were carried out. The force parameters and the rate of the extrusion process were mainly analyzed. The use of dedicated material models for each melt contributed to the accuracy of numerical modeling. A high degree of compliance was obtained regarding the theoretical and experimental extrusion force and the velocity of metal flowing out of the die cavity, among others.

Keywords: EN AW-7021 alloy; aluminum extrusion; flow stress; numerical modeling; plastometric testing; porthole dies; rheological properties.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of the proprietary 2-cavity porthole die: (a) three-dimensional isometric projection; (b) cross-section relative to the horizontal axis of symmetry—isometric projection; (c) cross-section relative to the horizontal axis of symmetry—rectangular projection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Finite element mesh of the computational domain (aluminum filling the interior of the die): (a) isometric view including bearing, pre-chambers and ports; (b) lay-out view of the die; (c) cross-sectional view of the computational domain filling the die including welding chambers, pre-chambers and bearings.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Finite element mesh including areas of compaction: (a) isometric cross-sectional view; (b) port entrance view; (c) cross-sectional view including cores and welding chambers.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Plastic flow curves of aluminum 7021-1: (a) temperature: 450 °C; (b) temperature: 480 °C; (c) temperature: 510 °C; (d) temperature: 540 °C; (e) temperature: 570 °C; blank symbols—experimental data; full symbols—results after approximation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Plastic flow curves of aluminum 7021-2: (a) temperature: 450 °C; (b) temperature: 480 °C; (c) temperature: 510 °C; (d) temperature: 540 °C; (e) temperature: 550 °C; (f) temperature: 570 °C; blank symbols—experimental data; full symbols—results after approximation.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Plastic flow curves of aluminum 7021-3: (a) temperature: 450 °C; (b) temperature: 480 °C; (c) temperature: 510 °C; (d) temperature: 540 °C; (e) temperature: 550 °C; (f) temperature: 570 °C; blank symbols—experimental data; full symbols—results after approximation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Variation in metal discharge from the die cavity at the initial stage of initiation of the extrusion process by the proprietary die for the rest of the melts: (a) 7021-1, (b) 7021-2 and (c) 7021-3.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Variation in metal discharge from the die cavity at the stabilized stage of the extrusion process by the proprietary die for the rest of the melts: (a) 7021-1, (b) 7021-2 and (c) 7021-3.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Comparative curves of press force parameters for aluminum melts 7021-1, 7021-2 and 7021-3.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Documentation of industrial tests: (a,b) die placed in the press; (c) initial fragment of profiles on the press.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Comparative plot of force parameters of the extrusion process as a function of the punch path recorded during trial testing against the values determined by numerical simulations.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Comparison of the initial part of the nose piece: (a) determined in numerical simulations; (b) in the actual trial test under industrial conditions.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Diameter measurement results for the Ø50 × 2 mm tube from melt 7021, extruded with the proprietary die obtained using 3D optical scanning.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Wall thickness measurement results for the Ø50 × 2 mm tube from melt 7021, extruded with the proprietary die obtained using 3D optical scanning.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Results of wall thickness measurements of extruded tubes with a diameter of 50 mm from melt 7021-2.
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