Age hardening of EN AW 2014 alloy extruded in the semi-solid state

Response to T6 heat treatment of thixoextruded EN AW 2014 aluminium alloy was investigated in the present work. Extrusion of a 2014 slug heated to a liquid fraction of 15%, takes place in the semi-solid state until the liquid fraction in the final part of the slug is reduced via segregation to a level where semi-solid forming is no longer possible. Hence, the final part of the slug is extruded in the solid-state with a concurrent recrystallization process. This process has produced two distinctly different structures at the front and rear ends and an unexpected hardness profile in T6 temper along the length of the thixoextruded rod. The response to T6 heat treatment of the globular front has been age hardening as usual. The inferior age hardening potential with respect to the hot extruded counterpart is attributed to the grain boundary Al2Cu phase which has grown too coarse via liquid segregation to be readily solutionized at typical solutionizing temperatures. The rear end of the extrudate on the other hand, has softened upon T6 heat treatment owing to Cu depletion and a fully recrystallized structure.