Extrusion behavior of micro-nanostructured Al-18%Si alloy powders

The extrusion of Al-Si alloy powders with different particle sizes allows manufacture of different products with unique microstructures and therefore with unique mechanical properties. The effects of powder size on the extrusion behavior and process defect of Al-18%Si alloy were studied by means of microscopy (optical, scanning electron) and density determination. The main objective of the work is to demonstrate the influence of the powder material characteristics on final density and quality of bar. The results show that the bigger the powder particles, the better the performance of cold compacting. The surface of alloy bar extruded from big particles has good quality without cracking. While the smaller the powder particles, the higher the density and the better the microstructure and mechanical properties. For practice application, the mixed powders are better than single powder.