Scheme for producing composite material based on structural aluminum alloy by the direct extrusion method

The work covers the development of a technology for producing a bimetallic rod from high-strength 7075 alloy with a cladding layer of 1100 aluminum, which is aimed at improving corrosion resistance while maintaining mechanical properties. A special feature of the proposed technology is the use of an additional front pure aluminum workpiece for the process of direct extrusion of a rod from 7075 alloy. The direct extrusion process for a composite workpiece was simulated with the DEFORM software package’s finite element method. The influence of process temperature and speed on the formation of the cladding layer was analyzed. For this purpose, four problems were formulated with varying heating modes of workpieces and tools. It was found that it is possible to produce a thin cladding layer at a heating temperature of the base 7075 alloy equal to 360 °C and a cladding layer temperature equal to 20 °C, which ensures a uniform distribution of the coating along the length of the rod without signs of delamination. Stress-strain analysis during extrusion showed that a cold additional workpiece ensures continuity for cladding coating formation. However, heating above 300 °C leads to rupture from deformation localization. The developed approach can be used to reduce the cost of products by reducing the consumption of expensive 7075 alloy while simultaneously increasing corrosion resistance due to the use of pure aluminum cladding. Prospects for the development of further research are associated with the optimization of extrusion modes for various rod sizes.