Numerical investigation of an arc inlet structure extrusion die for large hollow sections

This paper aims to improve the working life of extrusion dies by optimal structure design, which plays an important role in mass production. First, an arc-shaped inlet die structure for an aluminum large-hollow-section profile was developed. Second, a three-dimensional finite-element model of the porthole extrusion process was established using an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method. Third, the comparison of the formability was analyzed and discussed, including the diversity of extrusion forces and uniformity properties between the proposed design and two traditional design schemes using the same extrusion process. A group of square-profile extrusion dies was used to set up a L16_4_3 orthogonal experimental scheme, considering the side length of profiles, L, with four levels, 110, 100, 90, and 80 mm; inlet angles, α, of the porthole bridge of 0°, 10°, 20°, and 30°; and profile wall thicknesses, t, of 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 mm. The results of the orthogonal tests were similar to those of the actual production die model. Two different analysis models reached the same conclusion: the inlet angle or the arc inlet structure has a small effect on the metal flow and the forming distribution, but the arc inlet structure can alleviate the stress load of the dies. The die testing and production validation results indicate that the novel structural design of the arc inlet die will have a long working life.