COMPUTER MODELING OF THE CONTINUOUS FORMING EXTRUSION PROCESS OF AA6061 ALLOY

This paper presents a detailed application of the finite-element compu ter modeling technique for the analysis of the continuous forming (Con form(TM), a trademark owned by BWE International, Ashford, Kent, UK) e xtrusion process. The model is used to predict the contact behavior be tween the Conform(TM) wheel-groove and the workpiece. The modeling res ults predict stress, strain, strain rate and temperature fields that a re in good agreement with experimental data obtained through on-line c ontrol data acquisition techniques. The model has been validated with temperature data obtained by thermocouple measurements of die-face tem peratures. The excellent agreement between the calculated and the meas ured temperatures indicates that, for the first time, a good predictio n capability has been developed for the complex mechanisms occurring i n this forming process. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights rese rved.