FORGING OF MAGNESIUM USING SQUEEZE CAST PRE-FORM

摘要

The availability of magnesium stock for forging is limited to only a few suppliers, materials are difficult to locate and are expensive. Ideally, magnesium forging billet would be available directly as DC-cast and grain refined billet, as is the case with aluminium. However, the as-cast grain size of magnesium billet is often too coarse. Grain size reduction via additional thermo-mechanical processing is required in order to arrive at a structure suitable for further working, raising the price of feedstock considerably. An alternative form of forging stock to DC-cast and/or extruded billet is provided by cast pre-forms. In order to mimimise shrinkage porosity, squeeze casting was utilised to produce forging pre-forms from alloy AZ31. An automotive demonstration component was forged from the pre-forms, using single step deformation and varied forming conditions. The squeeze cast preforms were readily forged to produce sound parts with good properties. Regardless of forming parameters used, forging was achieved with greater ease than was anticipated from published reports. Forge2~R software was used to simulate both the forging process and the effect of process variables. Outcomes of forging simulation and trials are reported and discussed.