Validation of charge welds and skin contamination FEM predictions in the extrusion of a AA6082 aluminum alloy

Abstract

Abstract. The reduction of scraps related to Charge Welds and Skin Contamination defects is getting an increased industrial attention in order to improve the extrusion process overall efficiency. Recently, FEM simulations allowed the prediction of these defects under different die designs or processing conditions without performing time-consuming and expensive experimental analysis. However, the validation of the FEM codes has not been fully experimentally assessed. In this paper, Charge Welds and Skin Contamination defects were experimentally analysed in the extrusion of a AA6082 aluminum alloy profile produced under strictly monitored processing conditions. The collected data were used to assess the accuracy of the predictions made by using two commercial FEM codes Qform Extrusion UK and Altair HyperXtrude. The final aim of this work is to discuss the reliability of the FEM simulations and to validate their applicability in the industrial field.