Developments in finite element simulations of aluminium extrusion

Aluminium extrusion is a forming process used to produce profiles. A large variety of profiles can be made by pressing a billet of hot aluminium through a hole that closely resembles the required cross-section of the profie. At the present time, design of extrusion dies and operation in extrusion companies is primarily based on trial and error. The experience of the die designer, the press operator and the die corrector to a large extent determine the performance of the process. In order to improve the performance, it is necessary to have more knowledge about the extrusion process. Numerical simulations can be a valuable tool in obtaining such knowledge. In this thesis some new developments in the simulation of aluminium extrusion with the finite element method are reported. The subject matter is presented in four chapters, which have also been submitted as articles for publication elsewhere. Attention is focussed on the following three topics: - Modelling the bearing area. - Experimental verification of the simulations. - Development of a practical method for the simulation of arbitrary profiles.