Numerical investigation of the effect of friction conditions to increase die life

The standard die materials in aluminium extrusion offer good mechanical properties like high tempering resistance, high strength and ductility. On the other hand, they struggle with the problem of sliding wear. As a result, there is a growing interest in using surface treatment techniques to increase the wear resistance of extrusion dies. In this study, it is aimed to observe the effects of the different friction conditions on material flow and contact pressure in extrusion process. These friction conditions can be obtained with the application of a variety of surface treatment. In this way, it is expected to decrease the friction force on the die bearing area and to increase the homogeneity of the material flow which will result in the increase of the quality of the extrudate as well as the improvement of the process economically by extending die life. For this purpose, an extrusion process is simulated with a finite element software. A die made of 1.2344 hot work tool steel-commonly used die material for aluminium extrusion process- has been modelled and Al 1100 alloy used as billet material. Various friction factor values defined on the die surface under the same process parameters and effects of changing frictional conditions on the die and the extrusion process have been discussed.