An Analysis on the Forming Characteristics of AA 6063 Aluminium Alloy in Radial-Forward Extrusion Process

Abstract

In this paper, the forming process of a central hub by radial-forward extrusion has been analyzed by the rigid-plastic finite element method. In this process, the material flows in radial direction and then deflects 90 degrees into the same direction as that of punch movement. Radial extrusion is used to produce parts that generally feature a central hub with radial protrusions. Design factors such as mandrel diameter, punch nose radius, deflection corner radius, gap width in annular direction, and frictional conditions are applied to the present study by simulation. AA 6063 aluminum alloy is selected as a model material for analysis in the present study. The influence of these design factors on the force requirement during the forming operation and the pressure exerted on the tooling such as the punch and mandrel is investigated and the simulation results are quantitatively summarized in terms of pressure distribution, force-stroke relationships, and maximum force requirement, respectively. The main goal of this study is to investigate the effect of those process parameters on the deformation pattern in radial-forward extrusion process, especially the effect of deflection corner radius. It has been concluded from the simulation results that a) the frictional condition between workpiece and tool does not affect the punch load very much, but the load supported by mandrel is more or less significantly influenced by the frictional condition compared to that of punch, b) the deflection corner radius turns out to be a major process parameter in terms of maximum force requirement, and c) a similar trend is found in the punch and mandrel forces during the radial extrusion process.