Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study on Porthole Die Extrusion Process of LZ91 Mg-Li Alloy

Porthole die extrusion is the dominant process to produce hollow profiles due to its high productivity and capacity in producing complex profiles. In this study, the finite element simulation model of porthole die extrusion of LZ91 Mg-Li alloy was established. The effects of extrusion ratio on strain, temperature and flow velocity were studied, and the welding quality was quantitatively evaluated by means of J criterion. The experiments of porthole die extrusion were carried out by varying extrusion ratios. The microstructures of as-cast, homogenized and extruded LZ91 Mg-Li alloy were examined. The results show that the materials near the bridge surface and at the bottom of the bridge have large deformation, while the materials inside the portholes have small deformation. Moreover, with the increase of extrusion ratio, the effective strain of material is increased. Due to the heat generated by plastic deformation and the heat dissipation caused by profile cooling, the temperature of the material on the top of bridge is increased, while that of the material near the die exit becomes lower. The welding quality in the central area of weld seam is lower than that in the edge area of weld seam. With the increase of extrusion ratio, the welding quality is improved. More nucleation is generated in welding zone due to its large strain, resulting in the formation of fine grains. However, the dynamic recrystallization is not complete in the matrix zone, and some coarse grains still remain. Moreover, the material temperature becomes higher with high extrusion ratio, and the phenomenon of grain growth is observed.