Finite element simulation of ironing process under warm conditions

Metal forming is one of the most important steps in manufacturing of a large variety of products. Ironing in deep drawing is done by adjusting the clearance between the punch and the die and allow the material flow over the punch. In the present investigation effect of extent of ironing behavior on the characteristics of the product like thickness distribution with respect to temperature was studied. With the help of finite element simulation using explicit finite element code LS-DYNA the stress in the drawn cup were predicted in the drawn cup. To increase the accuracy in the simulation process, numbers of integration points were increased in the thickness direction and it was found that there is very close prediction of finite element results to that of experimental ones

Influence of ECAP processing temperature and number of passes on hardness and microstructure of Al-6063

Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) is one the most efficient techniques of severe plastic deformation for grain refinement and improving mechanical properties. In this study, aluminium alloy 6063 is used due to its wide range of applications. The ECAP process depends on die geometry, number of passes, processing temperature, following routes, plunger speed, strain and frictions. In this study, cylindrical billets of Al-6063 are processed at two different temperatures, at room temperature and at elevated temperature (250°C) through route BC. In the present research, specimens deformed after first pass, third pass and the sixth pass are considered for analysing the microstructure evolution and hardness values. Optical microscopy and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) techniques are used for microstructural study. Hardness test is carried out for hardness measurement with test load 100 g. The hardness is increased up to 85 HV after six passes at room temperature. Hardness increases up to 83% only after one pass at room temperature. EBSD result shows the low-angle grain boundaries are 91.06% where high-angle grain boundaries are only 8.9% of sample with one pass at 250°C. The elevated processing temperature influences both hardness and microstructure. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group