Material Flow Visualization for Metal Extrusion on near Industrial Scale

Abstract

In the simulation of bulk forming processes the validation of the applied simulation models is necessary. Then, predictive simulations are possible. A visualisation method is an advanced way to create additional evaluation parameters. In this work, the upscaling of a newly developed non-destructive method from semi-industrial to near-industrial scale for metal extrusion of aluminium alloys is presented. A copper coating, which deforms with the billet material, was applied to one half (in the longitudinal direction) of a cast billet and detected by computed tomography (CT). The copper pattern was applied by a plasma coating technology to determine the deformation of the billet material during the process until the final profile. A detailed analysis of the upscaled method with improved geometric setup shows the superiority of the newly chosen properties enabling a complete determination of strain state also in the profile.