Extrusion of Lightweight Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys Structures for Aviation Applications

Abstract

The development of light-weight materials and fabricating parts/sub-assemblies of substantially large dimensions has become a major issue for the aerospace industry, which has boosted the development of more advanced materials with high specification properties. Recent aluminum and magnesium alloys developments are based on achieving superior fatigue crack growth resistance, better corrosion resistance, lower density, etc. Standard manufacturing techniques, such as extrusion, ought to be developed in order to find a beneficial solution allowing for structural weight reduction, which is a very efficient means of improving aircraft performance. It is associated with the problem of extrusion profiles with a complex cross-section shape. In this work the formability of aluminum and magnesium alloys in the extrusion process was determined by the upsetting test through specification of the flow stress in relationship to the deformation size and rate. The results of the upsetting test of Al (7075, 2024, 8090, 2099) and Mg ( AZ31, AZ61, AZ80, WE 43) alloys were used in determining the conditions of the extrusion of profiles of various cross section shape and extrusion ratio. The analysis of macro and microstructure of extruded products and their mechanical properties demonstrates strong influence of the shape of extrudate cross section on metal exit speed and extrusion force value. Macro-and microstructure of all the investigated alloys after extrusion are highly homogeneous in terms of the grain size and morphology of the phase components, compared to the macro- and microstructure in the initial state, which justifies the use of them in production of aviation profiles.