Investigation of Effective Parameters on the Surface Temperature Gradient under Equal Channel Angular Pressing Process of AA2017

In recent years, processes known as severe plastic deformation (SPD) have been devised to create fine-grained materials. Among these processes, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) has been more favored than other methods due to its high efficiency, simplicity, and industrial production potential. This study aimed to investigate the sample temperature gradient during the ECAP process. For this purpose, a Taguchi experiment with influencing factors on AA2017 alloy was designed and a relationship was obtained to predict sample surface temperature. Experiments were carried out using grease, graphite powder, and MoS2 lubricants, along with routes A, BC, BA, and C. The surface temperature of the sample was measured using a laser thermometer. A finite element model was compared with the experimental conditions, and the simulation and experimental results of surface temperature were verified with an error of about 1.9%. In experiments, it was found that speed and lubricant had a significant effect on sample temperature during the process. The simulation results showed that decreasing the die angle resulted in a significant increase in temperature. Following the validation of the FEM model, the temperature gradient and distribution in the middle of the sample, wherein practical experiments could not be measured, were also investigated.