Evaluation of Finite Element Codes for the Simulation of Aluminum Extrusion Process

Abstract

In order to provide a “standard” and transferable solution to metal extrusion industry, commercial finite element (FE) codes are used to model the highly non-linear deformation process. This paper focuses on evaluating two commercial FEA codes (Deform3D® & HyperXtrude®) that currently represent the state-of-the art of the technology. This research aims at using finite element analysis (FEA) based simulation to study the effect of geometry on the performance of a porthole die for aluminum extrusion, in order to improve the life of tooling and quality of the final part. More specifically, a systematic evaluation approach is followed to compare the two codes. The comparison was based on a thermo-mechanical simulation that predicts: extrusion load, exit velocity, and exit temperature. A comparison of the accuracy of the prediction of each FEA code with the experimental counterparts was used to conduct the relative assessment and select the best code. Other criteria were also used. It was found that HyperXtrude® is an effective finite element simulator that can support the optimization of process parameters such as ram speed, initial billet temperature, initial tooling temperature and bearing length to ensure balanced material flow in order to eliminate product defects. Deform3D®, on the other hand, is an effective tool that not only can be used to assess the quality of extrusion dies by accurately predicting stress in tooling components to adjust critical parameters such as the welding chamber height, mandrel teeth height, web shape and porthole angle in order to improve the die performance, but also be utilized to visualize and achieve a better understanding of the different forming stages during the extrusion process. In comparison to HyperXtrude®, Deform3D® code is not only capable of handling the flow analysis simulations but is also capable of handling tool deflection analysis for complex die geometries with multiple components of different materials, as it allows the user to mimic the real world scenarios of geometric gaps, press fit and die coating. After selecting Deform3D®, the latter was used to create a simulation model for our particular application, and the model was then further validated.