OPTIMIZATION OF DIE PROFILE FOR COLD FORWARD EXTRUSION USING AN IMPROVED SLAB METHOD ANALYSIS

One of the most important design parameters in extrusion process is the shape of die profile. In the present research work, an optimum extrusion die profile has been obtained through implementation of slab analysis in a computational algorithm. Moreover, extrusion process through both optimum conical and curved die has been performed experimentally and also by finite element method. It has been demonstrated that material work hardening characteristics and friction condition have remarkable effects on the optimum streamlined die profile. Also, results prove that the streamlined die profile designed based on the developed approach, is superior to the conventional conical dies from both metallurgical and manufacturing perspectives. Consequently, the proposed method can be regarded as an efficient and reliable tool for designing streamlined die profiles. Hence, this technique can be used to produce desirable conditions in both process and product quality in terms of extrusion force, deformation homogeneity and die wear.