The Mathematical Model of Online Quenching for Extruding Bar of 6061 Aluminum Alloy

A simple mathematical model that correlates the temperature and extrusion speed of a 6061 aluminum bar extruded from the die has been established based on the principle of heat transfer in this paper. The 6061 alloy bar is extruded from the die orifice and is cooled through heat exchanged between the bar and ambient. The temperature of the bar decreases as the distance increases away from the die orifice. The more rapidly the temperature drops, the slower the extrusion speed is. A flexible online quenching apparatus has been set up before the critical quenching position to guarantee good supersaturation of alloying elements. The calculations have shown that at the extrusion speeds of 10m/min, 15 m/min and 20 m/min, the critical quenching positions are 0.44m, 0.88m and 1.30m from the die orifice, respectively for the temperature of 520°C; and for the different temperatures, the critical quenching positions from the die orifice are 0.66m, 1.31m, 1.95m at 530°C and 0.88m, 1.75m, 2.6m at 540°C, respectively.