Partial Remelting and Semi-solid Thixoforming Performance of Spray-formed 7075 Aluminum Ingot

WU Daoxiang; CHEN Huabiao; HU Jiahang; MENG Yi

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.06.017

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Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (6) : 160-168. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.06.017

Light Alloy Forming

Partial Remelting and Semi-solid Thixoforming Performance of Spray-formed 7075 Aluminum Ingot

WU Daoxiang¹, CHEN Huabiao¹, HU Jiahang², MENG Yi^2*

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Abstract

The work aims to explore the microstructural evolution of spray-formed 7075 aluminum alloy during semi-solid thixoforming and investigate the effects of process parameters on the forming performance, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for optimizing thixoforming processes. A spray-formed 7075 aluminum alloy ingot with a diameter of 900 mm and a height of 600 mm was selected for the study. An isothermal compression mold was designed through a thermal simulation test platform to conduct semi-solid thixoforming experiments under different temperatures (510, 540, 570, and 600 ℃), holding time (60, 120, and 300 s), and compression amounts. After thixoforming, the specimens were rapidly water-cooled, sectioned, and analyzed with an optical microscope to examine microstructural characteristics. Finite element simulations were also conducted to calculate equivalent strain distributions and analyze their correlations with the microstructure. As the forming temperature and holding time increased, the grains of the spray-formed 7075 aluminum alloy became coarser and more spherical, while the liquid phase at grain boundaries increased and formed a network structure. At higher temperatures (570 ℃), the liquid phase migrated from the central region to the edges, resulting in liquid phase segregation. Additionally, the number of pores decreased, but the pore volume increased. Spray-formed 7075 aluminum alloy exhibits significant microstructural evolution during semi-solid thixoforming, with forming temperature having a pronounced impact on liquid phase distribution and grain spheroidization. The forming parameters of 570 ℃ and 60 s effectively balance grain spheroidization and eutectic dissolution, enhancing the forming performance. To mitigate cracking and porosity issues, it is recommended to use closed molds to promote liquid phase filling and suppress segregation caused by liquid phase migration.

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spray forming / 7075 aluminum alloy / semi-solid forming / thixoforging / microstructural evolution

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WU Daoxiang, CHEN Huabiao, HU Jiahang, MENG Yi. Partial Remelting and Semi-solid Thixoforming Performance of Spray-formed 7075 Aluminum Ingot[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering. 2025, 17(6): 160-168 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.06.017

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