An Investigation into the Deformation Behaviour of AA6061—5% SiC p Composite During and after Hot Extrusion Process

Abstract

In this study, hot extrusion of AA6061—5% SiC_p composite was studied to determine the composite thermo-mechanical behaviour during deformation and the mechanical properties of extruded composite. Hot compression tests were first carried out to obtain the flow stress behaviour of the composite at different temperatures and strain rates. Then a mathematical model was used to estimate the required energy as well as to predict temperature and strain distributions during the process. Finally, hot extrusion experiments were performed in order to verify the predictions and, also, tensile and hardness testing were conducted to evaluate mechanical properties of extruded material. Comparison between the results obtained from the model and the experimental data shows a good agreement. The results indicate that the extrusion speed has a considerable effect on the mechanical properties of the produced material.