Entrance shape design of spread extrusion die for large-scale aluminum panel

The entrance shape of spread die plays a crucial role in the quality control of large-scale aluminum panel production. The conventional design of spread die is generally based on the experience and expertise of the die designers or costly plant trials. Thus, it is difficult to guarantee the material flow through subsequent feeder die with the same velocity and ensure the die strength. In this work, the extrusion processes of three spread dies with different entrance shapes used generally in the real extrusion production for large-scale aluminum panel were investigated by FE simulations. Firstly, 3D-FE models for simulating the extrusion processes of the three spread dies were established by using HyperXtrude software based on ALE algorithm. Then, the effects of different die designs on the material flow behavior, extrusion load, temperature, residual stress distribution, and die deflection were synthetically studied by analyzing and comparing the simulated results. Finally, the optimal die was manufactured and corresponding extrusion experiment was carried out on a 2600-t extrusion press. The simulation and experimental results show that the die 2 with fan-shaped entrance was the optimum one among the three spread dies, where the minimum required extrusion load, uniform flow velocity at the die exit, minimum residual stress in extruded profile, and minimum die deflection were obtained. This study could provide effective guidance on the entrance shape design of spread extrusion die for the large-scale aluminum panel.