Numerical simulation of aluminum extrusion using coated die

Abstract

In aluminium extrusion, the life of the die tooling components is mainly limited by wear and fatigue. Therefore reliable predictions of the amount of wear and its distribution in dies are important factors for the die design. In this study the stress location and wear depth of the tooling components were calculated using finite element models incorporating the Archards wear model. A comparative study was conducted on an extrusion die without coating and with a bilayer (TiCN + Al2O3) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coating. Stress distribution and the amount of wear were calculated. The results generated from the simulation would help predict the service life of the components through optimizing coating thickness.