Numerical and experimental investigation of extrusion processes from coil

The use of coil material as semi-finished product in sheet-bulk metal forming (SBMF), offers the possibility to use high-speed presses and thus to achieve high output quantities. However, compared to industrially established forming of pre-cut blanks, the reduced geometric accuracy of the parts due to the asymmetrical material flow represents a challenge. Against this background, the aim of this study is to gain an in-depth knowledge on the influence of the process setup on the material flow direction and on the forming of geared functional parts. A combined numerical-experimental approach of each a lateral and a backward extrusion process of a DC04 sheet metal (t0 = 2 mm) is applied for a fundamental process analysis. For this purpose, process-dependent causes for the asymmetric part forming are analyzed by means of material flow simulations. Subsequently, the numerical results are verified experimentally in terms of the part geometry, the process force and grain structural changes. Based on the numerical and experimental results, cause-effect relations between material flow, part accuracy and tool load are derived. In addition, the transferability of the causes of the asymmetric material flow to processes with different primary material flow directions and part geometries is verified. The findings facilitate the future counteraction of asymmetrical material flow in SBMF from coil, which in turn leads to enhanced component quality.