The role of friction in the extrusion of AA6060 aluminum alloy, process analysis and monitoring

The extrusion of a AA6060 round profile was performed on a laboratory 10 MN press to allow grid test analysis. The billet was equipped with 19-rod markers to evaluate the flow path in the container at different strokes. All process parameters suitable for validating FEM simulations (ram load, container, die and profile temperatures, process speed) were recorded. Two different ram speeds and two strokes have been performed, the results being compared with a billet extruded without rods. The deformed grids were measured in order to estimate the friction effect throughout the billet length. In particular, the distance between each rod, their deformation, and the node displacement at the container wall were measured.