A Study on the Compressive Properties of Thixo-Extruded 7075 Aluminum Alloy

Given that the conventional extrusion of high-strength Al alloys such as 7075 aluminum alloys is difficult due to their very low extrudability as compared to that of 6061 aluminum alloys, thixo-extrusion can be used to obtain a high-strength material easily at a lower extrusion pressure as compared to conventional extrusion. In this study, hot- and thixo-extruded 7075 aluminum alloys are prepared by a vertical forward extrusion process and their microstructures, hardness levels, and compressive properties are investigated. Hot-extruded alloy bars are assessed to obtain a microstructure elongated in the extrusion direction, whereas with thixo-extruded alloy bars, it was possible to obtain a microstructure having fine and equiaxed grains by dynamic recrystallization. The resulting isotropy and improved formability at the hot deformation temperature of the thixo-extruded alloy were attributed to the fine and equiaxed grains formed by the thixo-extrusion process.