Simulation of the Process of Temperature Field Changing of a Zr–1%Nb Zirconium Alloy Billet During Equal-Channel Angular Pressing

Using mathematical modeling in the QFORM software package, the data on the temperature distribution of a billet made of a zirconium alloy E110 (Zr–1%Nb) in its longitudinal and transverse sections during an equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) were obtained. The initial data on the geometric parameters of the billet and the die of the ECAP unit are presented, and the conditions for carrying out the process of severe plastic deformation, as well as the chemical composition and physical characteristics of the Zr–1%Nb alloy necessary for carrying out the computational modeling are described. The values of the billet temperature were determined for the calculated moments of the passage of the billet through the junction of the die channels, which corresponded to 25%, 50%, and 75% of its length. It is shown that during the ECAP process at a given pressing speed, in the section corresponding to the junction of the matrix channels, an increase in the billet temperature relative to its initial heating occurred by an amount of about 10 ºC.