 | 2006 |
Abstract:
Extrusion of profiles is a production process that offers a large potential for the manufacturing of structural components for lightweight constructions. In addition to conventional extrusion, composite extrusion, using standard AA6060 aluminium billets as base material and reinforcement elements made of steel wires, leads to a further rise in profile variety regarding an increase in strength and stiffness and an additional integration of functions. Since there are only limited ways to analyse the occurring stresses and strains in composite development areas in an experimental way, this paper deals with the numerical analysis based on the Finite-Element-Method (FEM). Because history of extrusion simulation is still young and no standardised method has been established until now the usability of two different Finite-Element models (one based on the Lagrangian formulation and the other on the Eulerian formulation) has been analysed. By use of coupled thermo-mechanical simulations with the commercial FE-codes Superform from MSC and HyperXtrude from Altair the stress, strain, and temperature distribution and the velocity fields during the composite extrusion process were analysed and compared. Based on these results, process optimisation strategies by variation of process parameters like temperature or punch speed to reduce stresses on the reinforcement and to improve the material flow have been developed.