Investigation into cold extrusion of aluminum billets using three-dimensional finite element method

This paper employs rigid-plastic finite element DEFORM™ 3D software to investigate the plastic deformation behavior of an aluminum billet during its axisymmetric extrusion through a conical die. The die and container are assumed to be rigid bodies and the temperature change induced during extrusion is ignored. Under various extrusion conditions, the present numerical analysis investigates the stress–strain distribution, the damage factor distributions, the die load and the flow velocity of the billet at the exit. The relative influences of the semi-angle of the die, the extrusion ratio and the friction factors are systematically examined. The simulation results confirm the suitability of the current finite element software for modeling the three-dimensional cold extrusion of aluminum billets.