Characteristics of the Combined Rolling and Extrusion Process

Abstract

The combination of the conventional forming processes rolling and extruding enables the continuous production of cross-sectional aluminum long products. Regarding power consumption and resulting material specifications, the combined process offers various advantages in comparison to its conventional alternatives [1, 2]. The combined rolling and extrusion process is in an early stage of maturity. The production of pure aluminum wire is state of the art. The material flow within the process can partially reproduced by the use of numerical simulations [3]. Some process specific characteristics need to be understood and controlled to obtain a better process design and to enable the future production of complex cross-sectional products. This paper describes the results of experimental and numerical investigations regarding the combined rolling and extrusion process. The test specimen of a visioplastic examination on an industrial scale plant [3] was examined by the use of metallography. Those results where compared to a numerical simulation of the industrial experiment. The comparison of these results where then linked to some specific characteristics of the process. The existence of a dead zone with a shape comparable to the conventional indirect extrusion process was proved. The deformation zone of the combined process was divided into four zones which can be differentiated in the experimental as well as the numerical results. General design rules were derived from this differentiation. These design rules were used to optimize the forming geometry of an industrial scale plant. Critical process forces where reduces and resulting scrap material was minimized.