Current assisted extrusion of metallic alloys: Insight into microstructure formation and mechanical properties

We present the devitrification behavior of an Fe-based amorphous metal (SAM2×5) during a current-assisted extrusion process. The alloy is of composition Fe49.7Cr17.7Mn1.9Mo7.4W1.6B15.2C3.8Si2.4 and contains Y2O3 nanoparticles as a reinforcing phase. Detailed analysis of phase formation and microstructural analysis verifies that the SAM2×5 devitrified (SAM2×5-Dev) materials can be successfully extruded up to several centimeters in length with extrusion temperatures in the range between 1000 °C and 1100 °C. Subsequent analysis of mechanical properties via microhardness testing, together with microstructural characterization by scanning electron microscopy, demonstrates that the properties of the extruded SAM2×5-Dev composites significantly surpass those of common steels. These results open new horizons in the area of structural amorphous materials and expand their potential industrial processing.