Comparison of experimental and Finite Element Modelling of the extrusion of AA6082 on both tools and extrudate as a function of process parameters

This paper deals with an integral finite element model (FEM) for the extrusion of AA6082. The temperature history of extrudate and tools as well as the microstructure evolution of the aluminium alloy is calculated. An experimental extrusion plant with instrumented container and die was constructed to perform tests in order to validate the FEM model at different process conditions. The comparison with experiments was made to assess the relative importance of some extrusion parameters in the extrusion process and to ensure that the numerical discretisation yields a realistic simulation of the process. The influence of different process parameters on the microstructure is also given.