Effect of Deformation Homogeneity on Grain Refinement of AZ31 Magnesium Alloys Based on FEA during ECAP

Abstract

In this study, the deformation process of AZ31 magnesium alloy during equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was simulated using the commercial software Deform-3D under different extrusion condition (passes and temperatures). To investigate the effect of temperature and deformation rate on grain refinement, the rules of flow and deformation homogeneity and also the extrusion load during ECAP was discussed. The simulation results indicate that the AZ31 magnesium alloy obtain homogenous and larger strain magnitude after 4 passes ECAP at 250°C~275°C. To verify the 3D finite element simulation results, the microstructure in the cross-section was observed. It shows that the grain of AZ31 magnesium alloy is homogenous refined by finite element method (FEM) results, thus the mechanical property is improved.