Comparison of Conventional Hot Forging and Thixoforging of Al 7075 Alloy According to Microstructures, Formability and Hardness

Al 7075합금의 열간단조와 반응고 단조에 있어서 조직, 성형성 및 경도 특성 비교

Conventional hot forging and thixoforging of Al 7075 alloy have been compared with respect to microstructures, formability and hardness. Two distinctive temperature-strain rate ranges for hot forging of Al 7075 alloy were observed from the results of simple compression tests with strain rates of 10-3∼101 sec-1 in the temperatures between $250^{\circ}C$ and $500^{\circ}C.$ In the dynamic recovery range (low temperature-high strain rate range) multi-stage forging was necessary to form a complex shape part due to the lack of formability. In the high temperature-low strain rate range, in which dynamic recrystallization takes place a complex shaped park could be formed by single-stage forging. About 50% cold working in the SIMA process was necessary to get a fine and homogeneous microstructures. Microstructural study suggest that thixoforged Al 7075 part has fine grains and homogeneous microstructures. Its hardness number is almost same to that of conventional hot forged part after aging treatment.