A Methodology for the Development of AA6063 Recrystallization Model using FEM Simulation

The microstructure of lightweight alloys affects mechanical, crash, corrosion, and aesthetic properties of the extruded profiles. Research activities are needed to investigate the correlation between processing parameters and grain structure of the final components for each specific alloy. In this context, experimental investigations of the microstructural evolution in different industrial-scale AA6063 extruded profiles were carried out. A novel modelling for the dynamic (DRX) and static (SRX) recrystallization behavior of 6xxx-series aluminum alloy was developed, optimized for the simulation of the AA6063 recrystallization behavior and implemented within the commercial FEM code Qform UK® Extrusion. The results of DRX-SRX simulations were further validated on various cases of different scale and extrusion ratio. The aim of this work is to propose, optimize and validate a reliable methodology for the microstructure prediction and the final grain size distribution in the extrusion of 6xxx-series aluminum alloy profiles.