Papers by Author: Lorenzo Donati

Abstract: The increasing demand for lightweight and energy-efficient components has strengthened the use of high-pressure die casting (HPDC) for thin-walled aluminium parts, often produced from recycled alloys. However, HPDC components are still affected by microstructural heterogeneity and defect formation, such as shrinkage porosity and gas entrapment, which are closely related to melt flow and solidification conditions. In this study, a dedicated step-casting geometry was developed to reproduce, within a single casting, solidification conditions representative of industrial HPDC components with varying thickness. The design was supported by numerical simulations to control filling and thermal evolution. Experimental HPDC trials were performed under industrial conditions, followed by microstructural characterization in terms of porosity, Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing (SDAS) and skin layer thickness. Comparison with a complex industrial demonstrator component confirmed that the step casting reliably reproduces both average microstructural features and their variability. The proposed numerical–experimental approach provides a robust framework for process HPDC design and optimization for lightweight cast components.

Abstract: With the increasing demand for lightweight materials, the combination of aluminum and magnesium sheets enables the development of advanced laminates with a balanced combination of strength and ductility, making them suitable for forming applications. This work investigates the effect of rolling temperature on the mechanical behavior and formability of AA1050/AZ31/AA1050 sheets produced by roll bonding in the temperature range of 250–450°C. Tensile tests showed that the yield stress is weakly affected by rolling temperature, whereas the ultimate tensile strength increases up to 350°C and then stabilizes. The elongation at fracture increases monotonically with temperature, indicating improved ductility at higher rolling temperatures. Microhardness measurements revealed softening of the aluminum sheets with increasing temperature, while limited variations were observed in the AZ31 sheet. Formability was evaluated by Erichsen Cupping test. The maximum load and extension at break remained nearly constant over the investigated temperature range; however, higher rolling temperatures led to reduced delamination and improved interfacial bonding integrity during deformation. The results indicate that roll bonding at elevated temperatures promotes better strain distribution and enhanced bonding quality. Overall, roll bonding at 450°C provides the most favorable combination of mechanical performance, formability, and interfacial stability, making the produced sheets suitable for lightweight forming applications.

Abstract: In hot extrusion of light alloys, nitrogen cooling has become a strategic solution to mitigate thermal issues from high deformation rates and frictional heating, improving surface quality, extrusion speed, and die life. However, current cooling system designs remain largely empirical, and the limited use of predictive modeling and experimental monitoring often leads to inconsistent evaluations. This work proposes a dual-step procedure for transient numerical analysis of multiple billets with nitrogen cooling. First, a 1D numerical model of nitrogen cooling is simulated in a simplified environment reproducing extrusion thermal conditions, requiring negligible computational time. The resulting heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and nitrogen temperature are then integrated into the process model, implemented in Qform code, as additional boundary conditions. This approach enables the fully 3D extrusion model to account for nitrogen cooling effects not only on thermal gradients but also on aluminium flow and die resistance. A porthole die with three tube-shaped openings for hollow profile extrusion was experimentally tested under cooled and uncooled conditions, with thermal behaviour monitored by eleven thermocouples within the tooling set. Experimental–numerical comparison confirmed the advantages of numerical simulation for cooling channel design and the limitations of experience-based approaches.

Abstract: In the transition to a circular economy in the automotive sector, it is essential to integrate recycled (or secondary) aluminum alloys into extrusion processes, while ensuring that their performance is as close as possible to that of primary alloys. Within the Horizon Europe ZEvRA project, this study aims to analyze and investigate the hot deformation behavior of four aluminum alloys, two primary alloys (AA6082 Primary and AA7108) and two recycled alloys (AA6082 Recycled and AA6061), in order to demonstrate their potential suitability for automotive applications. Hot torsion tests were conducted under temperature and strain rate conditions representative of industrial extrusion processes. Four different temperatures (400, 450, 500, and 550 °C) and four different strain rates (0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 s⁻¹) were investigated, allowing the achievement of significantly higher strain levels compared to conventional standard tensile and compression tests. Subsequently, the flow stress curves obtained from the torsion tests were analyzed to evaluate the influence of temperature and strain rate on the plastic deformation behavior of the material and on the associated dynamic softening mechanisms. The results demonstrate a comparable deformation behavior between primary and secondary alloys, confirming the feasibility and full compatibility of recycled alloys for high-performance industrial extrusion applications. Furthermore, the experimental results provide a solid basis for the development of robust constitutive models to support FEM simulations aimed at optimizing metal forming pocesses within a circular manufacturing framework.

Abstract: The Extrusion Benchmark 2023 was focused on the evaluation of different die design strategies for the manufacturing of AA6082 hollow tubes (40 mm external diameter and 4 mm thickness) through a porthole die with 3 openings. The extrusion process was monitored in industrial environment in terms of press load, profiles speed, profiles exit temperature, and die temperatures under different processing conditions (air quenching, water quenching, nitrogen die cooling). Extruded profiles were then analyzed in terms of seam weld quality, charge weld extension and microstructure evolution for both air/water quench and presence/absence of nitrogen cooling. The results of the study are aimed at validating FEM simulation outputs in the context of the International Conference on Extrusion and Benchmark (ICEB).

Abstract: Materials characterization and the knowledge of their elastic-plastic behavior are of fundamental importance for the design of industrial manufacturing processes. Nowadays, FEM simulation is the main tool used to optimize product quality and minimize scraps, and the numerical codes have evolved over the years to obtain accurate solutions with reduced computational times. Nevertheless, in order to perform reliable simulations, it is necessary to include accurate modeling of the material flow stress. Hot torsion is a powerful method for the characterization of the material flow stress because, tests can be carried out at constant speeds and temperatures, reaching large strain values, and thus getting over the limits of compression and tensile tests. In this paper the hot torsion characterization applied to AA6082 alloy is presented: tests were performed with equivalent strain rates of 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 s^-1, in the temperature range from 440 to 550 °C (from 713.15 to 823.15 K). The results are presented in terms of equivalent stress vs equivalent strain. Finally, the material flow stress curve was predicted by the Hyperbolic sine model and Hensel-Spittel law, and the material parameters A, m_1-9 are provided for the temperature expressed in °C and K.

Abstract: Nitrogen cooling has been identified as a powerful industrial solution for the hot extrusion process to remove heat in the die and in the profile. The complexity involved in the design of cooling channels depends on many factors, including the cooling path, its position with respect to the hottest zones as well as the nitrogen phase change that strongly affects the heat removal capacity. However, the industrial approach is still stuck in the empirical and based-experience practices that too often strongly limit the possibilities of obtaining a performing cooling solution. In this context, this work intends to summarize and discuss the advanced recent trends in the design of cooling channels for extrusion dies proposed by the authors based on the numerical approaches, with the final aim to propose possible solutions to fill the current gaps of the suboptimal industrial approaches.

Abstract: The microstructure evolution during the extrusion process of AA6XXX aluminum alloys is getting a significant interest from extruders and researchers because of the effect of the grain structure on the extruded component properties. Several process and material parameters such as chemical composition, homogenization, temperature evolution, extrusion speed, geometries and quenching have a direct impact on the final grain size of extruded profiles. Because there are so many affecting elements, it is extremely challenging to forecast the microstructure evolution and, as a result, research activities are still required to understand and control the aluminum alloy recrystallization behaviour. In this work, a methodology for the microstructural characterization of AA6XXX aluminum alloys is proposed. The methodology involves the experimental investigation of the profile grain evolution during the extrusion process, the development of a AA6XXX recrystallization model optimized to describe the AA6063 recrystallization behaviour and the simulation by means of finite element method of the final microstructure of the extruded profile.

Abstract: During cold wire drawing process, the drawing stress applied to the wire at the exit of the die must be lower than the material yield stress (including strain-hardening) to avoid wire necking and fracture. Several studies have been developed to investigate and model the stress acting on the wire in the single pass drawing and its dependence on the main process parameters. The aim of this work is to apply an analytical model for the calculation of the drawing stresses during the whole complex multi-pass manufacturing process in industrial environment, considering not only the forces acting in the die but also the driving forces of the rotating capstans (drawing tension and back tension). The drawing of ETP Pure Copper (99.9% in weight), using two industrial multi-pass machines with different reduction ratio sequences, is analysed and then discussed in order to understand the different failure rates. Finally, the study compared step by step, the evolution of the drawing stresses respect to material yield stress when different processing conditions (i.e. change of capstan windings, change of friction conditions in the die and in the capstan) are applied.

Abstract: Aluminum extrusion is an efficient industrial process. However, one of the main problems is related to the temperatures developed during the process that can detrimentally affect the achievable productivity, profile quality and/or die life. Cooling of the die with liquid nitrogen represents an efficient solution to overcome this limit but a further issue arises lying in the number of process and design variables that need to be managed in order to set-up of an efficient system. In this context, a 3D FE model of the extrusion process, coupled with a 1D model of the cooling channel, previously proposed by the authors, has been integrated in an optimization platform in order to iteratively and automatically adjusts the channel geometry and the process variables gaining to a final optimal solution in terms of thermal balance, cooling efficiency and nitrogen consumption. The original channel design used during the extrusion of industrial hollow AA6060 profile guaranteed an efficient but unbalanced cooling with a maximum temperature deviation of 60 °C registered by the thermocouple positioned around the bearings. The optimized designs showed temperature deviations below the 16 °C as well as the reduction of 50% in terms of nitrogen consuming.