FEM Modelling of Continuous Extrusion of High-Strength Metals Using Commercial Conform^™ Machine

Continuous extrusion of metals using Conform^™ machine is a well-known process which has been used in industry for several decades as a technique for extrusion of soft metals (Al, Cu) and their alloys. New developments in continuous extrusion of metals include its use for high-strength materials and a utilization of its beneficial side effect, which is the microstructure refinement. Long-standing experience with research into the ECAP process and other technologies for preparing ultrafine structured materials inspired modifications to the design and material of the forming die of commercial Conform^™ 315i machine. These changes will allow repeated processing of high-strength alloys with strength above 1,000 MPa. This work describes 3D modelling of continuous extrusion of high-strength materials (titanium) using the finite element method software DEFORM-3D. The model traces temperature and strain fields which are then compared to experimental data obtained from continuous extrusion of titanium stock. The temperature of the wheel, the temperature of the input titanium feedstock and the circumferential speed of the wheel have substantial impact on the entire forming process. The goal is to find adequate boundary conditions to make the mathematical model fit the real-world process as much as possible and allow its optimization.