Producing hollow drive shafts by rotary compression

The paper presents the numerical and experimental results of producing hollow parts by a new method of rotary compression. First, the most popular methods for producing axisymmetric hollow parts are described. Next, the paper examines the forming of such parts by rotary compression. With the method, a hollow billet is shaped by tools that both rotate and translate relative to the axis of the billet. In order to estimate the technological viability of rotary compression, we numerically model the rotary compression process for a drive shaft by the finite element method. The 3D FEM simulations are performed using the Simufact Forming software suit. Thermal phenomena are investigated. The numerical results are then verified under laboratory conditions. The experimental results show a good agreement with the FEM results, which confirms that hollow parts such as stepped axes and shafts can be produced by rotary compression.