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Fatigue Failure of Extrusion Dies: Effect of Process Parameters and Design

Features on Die Life

Article  in  Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention · February 2010

DOI: 10.1007/s11668-009-9304-4

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J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49
DOI 10.1007/s11668-009-9304-4
TECHNICAL ARTICLE—PEER-REVIEWED
Fatigue Failure of Extrusion Dies: Effect of Process Parameters
and Design Features on Die Life
S. S. Akhtar • A. F. M. Arif
Submitted: 3 May 2009 / Published online: 26 November 2009

ASM International 2009
Abstract Analysis of die failure plays an important role
in the prediction and prevention of die failure, and subse-
quently in improving economics of any metal-forming
process. Industrial experience has shown that fracture is the
most common mode of failure in the case of hot aluminum
extrusion dies. The purpose of the present work is to
implement fatigue damage models in a Finite Element code
for identification of critical process parameters and die
design features in the case of fatigue being the dominating
failure mode. For the maximum number of billets extruded
by the die before fatigue crack initiation (fatigue life cycles
in extrusion), Morrow’s stress- and strain-life damage
models are implemented for axisymmetric flat extrusion
die. With the help of finite element software ABAQUS,
extrusion process is simulated and dynamic stress and
strain values were obtained by first identifying the potential
fatigue location in the die. The evaluation of applicability
of the damage models is done for specific hot extrusion die
made of H13 steels with Al-6063 as billet material. By
considering temperature and strain rate as process param-
eters and bearing length and fillet radius of the die as
geometric features, different simulation runs are performed
to investigate the effect of process and design features on
the useful die life. Morrow’s stress life model shows a good
correspondence between computed and actual failure of
dies. By establishing correlations of die life with process
and design parameters under different conditions, it was
shown that the present investigation is a useful guideline at
die design and extrusion process stages.
S. S. Akhtar
A. F. M. Arif (&)
Mechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of
Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
e-mail: afmarif@kfupm.edu.sa
123
Keywords Fatigue analysis
Extrusion die

FE simulation
Critical parameters
Introduction
A very important factor contributing to the performance
and economics (efficiency and quality) of any hot metal-
forming process is the service life of tooling. Product
rework and rejects can be traced back to various defects
spread over the die life cycle: die design, die manufacture,
heat treatment, and die service. A number of mechanisms
can cause initiation and propagation of die damage.
Analysis of tool and die failure thus plays an important role
in the prediction and prevention of die failure, and subse-
quently in improving process economics. In die fracture-
failure, there are two common modes: one is overload
fracture and the other is fatigue fracture. The large defor-
mation load that exceeds the strength limit of the die in the
forming processes can cause overload fracture, while, on
the other hand, fatigue fracture is generally caused by the
fact that the die works under severe loading condition,
which helps the micro-crack initiation and growth in
forming process as explained by Fu et al. [1]. In hot
extrusion process, fracture is the root cause for die failure
as investigated by Arif et al. [2, 3]. Therefore, it is very
desirable to identify critical process parameters and die
design features so as to predict their susceptibility to failure
due to cyclic fatigue. Finite element simulation is an effi-
cient tool for analysis of forming processes and tool
loading. By application of damage models, it is possible to
calculate from the stress–strain values obtained by finite
element analysis a specific damage variable of the material
due to fatigue loading. In Fig. 1, a typical extrusion loading
cycle is shown. In each cycle, a billet is extruded through
J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49 39

Extrusion fatigue cycle axisymmetric extrusion die using Morrow’s stress- and
σmax strain-life models. Finite Element code ABAQUS is used
for determination of stress states at the critical locations of
Extrusion load

the die. The materials of die and billet investigated are H13
σm
steel and Al-6063, respectively. Considering temperatures
and strain rate as process parameters and bearing length
and fillet radius as die features, different simulation runs
are performed by varying these parameters/features to
σmin investigate the effect on useful die life. The predictions are
Loading cycles also compared with the industrial data.
Fig. 1 Extrusion loading cycles

Observations on Die Failures in Local Extrusion

Industry
the die subjecting it to fatigue loading. As the billet is
compressed against the die, a deformation zone in front of
The author’s previous work [2, 3] based on real industrial
the die opening forms and extrusion begins with increase of
data has revealed that fracture is the most dominant failure
extrusion pressure and reaches to maximum (breakthrough)
mode in actual industrial scenario. Two solid-profile dies
pressure. Beyond the breakthrough pressure, the process
(Die-A and Die-B) scraped due to fracture are illustrated in
enters the steady-state stage with gradual decrease of
Fig. 2. Cross-sectional view of Die-B is also illustrated in
pressure. In the figure, rmax and rmin represent the maxi-
the figure to describe the internal features of the die. These
mum and minimum stresses in the die, respectively,
dies were manufactured at local die manufacturing plant
corresponding to maximum and minimum load provided
from ORVAR 2 Microdized (AISI H13) steel, properly
the die is not pre-stressed which is the case in hot extrusion
heat-treated and surface hardened. Cylindrical billets of
dies. Pre-stressing is usually provided in cold extrusion
Al-6063 preheated to about 425 C were extruded using
dies in which case there will be some rmin even if the load
these dies. The dies were also preheated to about 425 C
is zero initially. rm designates the mean stress during the
before being placed into the extrusion chamber (con-
loading cycles, which is equal to the average of rmax and
tainer). The container is maintained at around 425–475 C,
rmin . Half the stress range (the difference between the
but heats of friction and plastic deformation may increase
maximum and minimum values) is called the stress
this temperature to well above 500 C. Die-A having three
amplitude, ra , in the loading cycle.
cavities were intended for production of 120,000 kg of
So far, numerous studies have been performed for the
aluminum profiles but failed only after extruding
improvement of tool fatigue life. Tong et al. [4] have used
91,595 kg (equivalent to 1425 billets having average
S-N approach and finite element analysis for the estimation
length of 650 mm and 216 mm diameter). Single cavity
of forging die fatigue life and validated it by some indus-
Die-B designed for extruding 100,000 kg of aluminum
trial case studies. Fu et al. [1] employed both stress- and
profiles was scrapped after production of 42,327 kg of
strain-based fatigue analysis techniques to develop the
aluminum (equivalent to 698 billets having 254 mm
relationship of die life with its various affecting factors.
diameter and average length of 500 mm). Failure regions
Falk et al. [5] used different approaches for estimation of
in both these were found to be the sharp corners and
time until crack initiation for closed cold forging die and
square edges near the bearing area. It clearly indicates that
calculated damage parameters yielding different estimates
die geometric features have prominent effect on die fail-
of tool life and compared with practical data. Falk et al. [6]
ure. These features can be improved at design stage to
showed that damage approaches like local stress, local
avoid early failures of die.
energy, and volume-based lifetime approach could result in
reasonable lifetime predictions. They claimed that the tool
life estimation based on stress conditions should be cal-
Fatigue Failure Approaches Employed
culated in terms of effective stress. Saroosh et al. [7]
focused their research on high cycle fatigue life estimation
The following Morrow’s stress- and strain-life equations
based on material property of workpiece. Their calculation
are used for the prediction of fatigue life cycles of extru-
based on Morrow’s equation was proved to be more real-
sion die.
istic compared to Basquin’s equation.
Morrow’s stress-life approach:
The purpose of the current study is to identify critical
process parameters and die design features in fatigue life of ra ¼ 2Nf ðr0f  rm Þb ðEq 1Þ

123
40 J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49

Fig. 2 Failed dies collected

from local extrusion industry

Both these models are based on the use of damage

Morrow’s strain-life approach:
parameters (i.e. ra and ea ), which describe a mathematical
    relationship between maximum stress–strain conditions
r0f rm rm c=b
ea ¼ 1  0 ð2Nf Þb þ e0f 1  0 ð2Nf Þc ðEq 2Þ and the number of cycles to initiation of crack. These
E rf rf
damage models are uniaxial and it is difficult to handle how
where rmax is the maximum stress, ra the stress amplitude, process parameters and design changes will affect the
rm the mean stress, ea the strain amplitude, r0f the fatigue multiaxial stress–strain state under loading. Successful
strength coefficient, e0f the fatigue ductility coefficient, b implementation of these damage models requires the
the fatigue strength exponent, c the fatigue ductility determination of existing load conditions in the potential
exponent, and E the modulus of elasticity. fatigue location of the die, reliable fatigue data at required

123
J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49
process conditions, and the accuracy and reliability of
numerical values obtained from simulation [6].
Damage Parameters Used
The fundamental problem in reducing multi-axial loading
conditions in the die to an equivalent uniaxial value is the
choice of damage parameter used in the failure equations.
The results gained from the numerical process simulation
show that maximum principal stress takes small values
compared to effective von Mises stress values in all case
studies. Therefore, effective von Mises stress is used for
the determination of damage parameter, ra , in the case of
stress-life equation. However, considering strain-life
equation, the maximum principal strain is considered for
calculating damage parameter, ea , due to the reason that
effective von Mises strain is not available as output vari-
able in the simulation software. Since the initial stress and
strain in the die is zero, the mean stress, stress amplitude,
and strain amplitude is half of maximum values in all
cases. Furthermore, the extrusion dies were deformed in
elastic regime under extrusion pressure, elastic behavior of
dies is analyzed and plastic strain values are neglected in
life prediction [5]. Therefore, plastic terms are neglected in
using strain-life equation (Eq 2).
Fatigue Data Used
Estimating die life using fatigue failure equations based on
finite element results requires appropriate fatigue param-
eters. These parameters should describe the fatigue
behavior of the die material. The accuracy of such mate-
rial parameters is very important for accuracy of die life
calculation. This information is not readily available in the
literature. For die life estimation, an attempt is made to
gather high-temperature properties data from different
sources for H13 die steel and Al-6063 billet. Some
assumptions have also been made which may affect life
estimation. Apart from other fatigue parameters, it has
been found that value of modulus of elasticity, E, and
fatigue strength coefficient, r0f , greatly affect die life
estimation. The constant r0f is often approximately equal
to true fracture strength of material, which is usually a
value larger than the ultimate tensile strength by amount
50 ksi (492 MPa) as reported by Dowling [8]. Since the
value of r0f for H13 steel at different temperatures was not
available, it is extracted from the relationship of hardness
and tensile properties at different temperatures available
from work done by Wallace and Schwam [9]. H13 in the
hardness ranges from 45 to 52 RC is excellent steel for
extrusion dies. In current industrial practice in an
41
aluminum extrusion plant, nitriding is commonly used to
surface harden the extrusion dies. In the case of H13 hot-
work tool steel, the hardness of the nitrided surface may
reach to approximately 56–62 HRC. Therefore, tensile
strength values are attained at 56 RC hardness at selected
temperatures. Considering the fact that the plastic strain
values are ignored and only elastic analysis is to be carried
out for dies, the fatigue ductility coefficient, e0f , and fatigue
ductility exponent, c, are not required. The same is also
assumed by Falk et al. [5] in their work. It is noteworthy
that the value of fatigue strength exponent, b, decreases
with temperature. However, due to the non-availability of
b at different temperatures, a value of b equal to 0.0928
is used [8] in all case studies.
Methodology
The numerical simulation of extrusion process and
dynamic die stress state during the process provides a
systematic approach for simultaneous modeling of billet
deformation behavior and die stress and strain distribution
during the forming process. From the point of view of
metal-forming process, the flow behavior of billet material,
which mainly depends upon working conditions like tem-
perature and strain rate, greatly affects the die deformation
response and hence the die stresses and strains. In addition,
die material behavior also affects the flow properties of
deforming billet. From the resulted stress and strains val-
ues, die fatigue life has been estimated for the given die
design configuration, billet material, and other process
parameters. Practically, there are many factors affecting the
die life, searching for long die life would be an iterative
process and the know-how and prior experiences are useful
in decision making for the configuration of die service
condition and die life improvement. In this study, it was not
possible to explore every factor affecting die life. To
illustrate the proposed methodology, four variables are
considered: process temperature, strain rate, die bearing
length, and die fillet radius. In order to check the accuracy
and validity of simulation results, a published work done
by Lee and Im [10] is first considered and one of their
results is reworked.
In implementation of proposed methodology to analyze
die fatigue failure, the following approach was used:
• Identification of critical fatigue failure locations in the
die during loading cycle.
• Determination of stresses and strains in the die at
critical locations.
• Identification of critical process parameters and design
features in the die based on estimated die life cycles
using damage models.
123
42
Accuracy of Simulation
Prior to simulation of aluminum extrusion with flat die in
the current study, a case study for cold extrusion process
has been conducted similar to the work done by Lee and Im
[10] and the results are compared for accuracy. Figure 3
shows the simulation conditions indicating die geometry,
billet dimensions, material behaviors, etc. Due to symme-
try, just half of the workpiece and the die is considered for
analysis to reduce the computational time. Comparison of
results shows that critical fatigue location (maximum
stressed region) is the same in both cases. Furthermore,
effective stress value (752.1 MPa) obtained by them is very
close to the results obtained in the current simulation
(792.7 MPa) as illustrated in Fig. 3, respectively. The
small discrepancy in the results may be due to the factors
such as definition of extrusion ratio, stress definition, dif-
ferent simulation software and solution procedure, different
frictional coefficient, etc.
Finite Element Analysis
In fatigue life analysis of extrusion die, the die geometry
and deformation simulation is the most important thing.
Die geometry analysis determines and verifies the effects
of the shape and geometry of die components such as die
land, die angle, fillet corner radius, and extrusion ratio.
Deformation analysis, on the other hand, reveals the stress
and strain distribution in the die. The identified strain and
stress provide the basic data and information for die life
assessment. Simulation software ABAQUS is used for the
A: 15.77mm, B: 12mm
Billet size (D:H): 15.65mm*25mm
Billet material property: σ=105ε0.14
Die material: Elastic modulus = 210 GPA
Extrusion ratio: 74%, α: 45o, R: 0.3mm
(a)
Fig. 3 Effective stress distribution obtained by Lee and Im [10]. (a) Validated results: maximum von Mises stress at critical location (b)
123
J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49
determination of dynamic stresses and strains during
extrusion process.
In order to see the effect of temperature, strain rate,
bearing length, and fillet radius, three cases for each
parameter are considered. The details are shown in
Table 1. For the effect of temperature, flow curves of billet
material at three temperatures, 300, 420, and 540 C, are
used as simulation inputs. These flow curves are considered
at average strain rate of 1 s1. Bearing land of 8 mm and
fillet radius of 2 mm is used as die configuration. For strain
rate effect, flow curves at three average strain rates, 0.01,
0.1, and 12 s1 (at 420 C), are used with 8 mm die bearing
and 2 mm fillet radius as die configuration. Die geometry
effect is also studied by varying bearing length (6, 8, and
10 mm) and fillet/lead radius (1, 2, and 3 mm), using input
flow curves at 420 C and average strain rate of 1 s1. In
addition to flow curves, modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s
ratio is also taken at corresponding process temperature.
Geometric Model
Due to symmetry, just half of the workpiece and the die are
considered for analysis to reduce the computational time in
all cases as shown in Fig. 4. Billet diameter is taken as
300 mm diameter and 300 mm length. Extrusion ratio is 25
in all cases. Dimensions of different features of the die like
diameter, taper relief angle towards die exit, undercut
length, etc., considered in the present study are taken the
same as used in local extrusion setup. Furthermore, thick-
ness of die (120 mm) also includes backer thickness. Die
considered from real industry has dimensions of 40 mm
(thick) 9 300 mm (diameter) with 80 mm thick backer.
(b)
J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49 43

Table 1 Simulation results and estimated die life cycles

Number of billets extruded (life cycles, Nf)
Varying process parameter/ Max von Mises Max principal Morrow’s stress- Morrow’s strain- Other simulation conditions/
die design feature stress, rmax, MPa strain, emax life approach life approach die configurations

Temperature (T), C
300 1490 0.00424 1730 751300 Strain rate: 1 s1
420 862 0.00273 2318011 307807041 Fillet radius: 2 mm
540 620 0.00179 46042609 5.8e11 Bearing length: 8 mm
Extrusion ratio: 25
Strain rate (e9), /s
0.01 618 0.002057 17014874 2.49e10 Temperature: 420 C
1 862 0.00273 2318011 307807041 Fillet radius: 2 mm
12 1262 0.003407 10641 78956201 Bearing length: 8 mm
Extrusion ratio: 25
Bearing length (L), mm
6 812 0.00228 5124318 2.48e10 Temperature: 420 C
8 862 0.00273 2318011 3078077041 Strain rate: 1 s1
10 999 0.00282 306399 1421095406 Fillet radius: 2 mm
Extrusion ratio: 25
Fillet radius (r), mm
1 1515 0.008264 610 2379 Temperature: 420 C
2 862 0.00273 2318011 307807041 Strain rate: 1 s1
3 694 0.002 39277174 1.44e11 Bearing length: 8 mm
Extrusion ratio: 25

Mesh Model Material Models

In all cases, the die and billet are meshed while die con- The die is considered as an elastic body and the billet is
tainer is assumed as rigid body. CAX4R (4-node bilinear made of aluminum and is modeled as a von Mises elastic-
axisymmetric quadrilateral, reduced integration, hourglass plastic material with isotropic hardening. Predicting stres-
control) elements are used for both die and billet material. ses and strains during extrusion processes using finite
Since deformation occurs in extrusion problems, especially element method require appropriate inputs and mechanical
in those that involve flat die geometries, is extreme; an properties of billet and die material. For billet material Al-
arbitrary Lagrangian-Eularian (ALE) adaptive meshing is 6063, flow curves at different temperatures and strain rates
used. A simple meshing technique has been developed as used in simulation are taken from Kuhn [11] and shown in
shown in Fig. 4. The mesh refinement is oriented such that Fig. 5. The following temperature-dependent Young’s
the fine mesh along sides AB and DC will move up along modulus values are use as inputs. These are taken from
the extruded walls as the billet is moved forward. Engineeringtoolbox [12] and Wang [13] for Al-6063 and
H13 steel, respectively.
Solution Procedure, Boundary Conditions, and Contact
Treatment
Temperature, C
The process is assumed as quasi-static and solved using Material 300 420 540
dynamic explicit with automatic time incrementation. Sym-
H13 200 GPa 162 GPa 145 GPa
metric boundary conditions are applied on the centerline of
Al-6063 60 GPa 52 GPa 48 GPa
the billet while the die is constrained in such a way that
boundary conditions act as die backer. Surface-to-surface
contact conditions are applied between billet–container
and billet–die interfaces with coefficient of friction equal to Poisson’s ratio and density for H13 material at different
0.1. temperatures used in simulation are taken from Wang [13].

123
44 J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49

Fig. 4 Geometric model (all Axis of symmetry

units in meters)

Die

A B C
DIE

Billet

Taper angle

Undercut
Bearing land D

Fillet radius

fillet radius by varying material inputs and die geometry. A

Fig. 5 Flow curves of Al-6063 at different temperatures and strain
rates used in the simulation
Results and Discussion
Various simulation cases were performed to analyze the
influence of temperature, strain rate, die-bearing land, and
detail of these simulations is shown in Table 1. In all case
studies, simulation is performed until steady state is
reached in the extrusion cycle so that maximum stress/
strain conditions in the billet and die could be achieved.
The critical fatigue location was found to be the fillet
radius or nearby regions in all simulation runs based on
maximum effective von Mises stress criteria values. The
maximum principal strain values were also found the
highest in these regions in all cases. This can be observed
in the distributions of von Mises stress and maximum
principal strain for one representative simulation case
(Fig. 6). The simulation conditions and die configuration
for this particular case are temperature = 420 C, strain
rate = 1 s1, die bearing land = 10 mm, and fillet
radius = 2 mm. These distributions are recorded at ram
displacements in the loading cycle corresponding to peak
values. Variation in the stress and strain values during the
extrusion loading cycle until steady state reached is also
shown. The stress and strain values at critical die locations
in the case of other simulation runs are given in Table 1.
Using stress and strain values from simulation results,
fatigue cycles are estimated from Morrow’s stress- and
strain-life approaches, respectively. The values of esti-
mated die life based on both approaches for all case studies
are shown in Table 1. The variation of die life (expressed

123
J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49
Fig. 6 Variation of maximum von Mises stress (a) and maximum principal strain (b) until steady state is reached. The corresponding maximum
value distributions at critical die location are also shown. The simulation conditions and die configuration are temperature = 420 C, strain
rate = 1 s1, die bearing land = 10 mm, and fillet radius = 2 mm
in total number of billets extruded) with process tempera-
ture, strain rate, die bearing length, and fillet radius is
shown in Fig. 7 and 8.
Results Validation Against Industrial Die Failure Data
It can be observed from Fig. 7 and 8 that stress-based
approach results in less number of die life cycles as com-
pared to strain-based approach in all cases. This indicates
that stress conditions at potential fatigue regions of the die
are more severe and detrimental as compared to the local
elastic strains. For the purpose of validation of the current
results, failure data of about 50 solid dies has been col-
lected from local hot extrusion industry. All the dies were
scrapped due to fracture failure. These dies had less than
1 mm fillet (lead) radius with average bearing land of
8 mm and failed under extrusion speed resulting in billet
45
average strain rate of about 1 s1. The extrusions were
performed on a fully computerized 3500-ton SMS-
Hasenclever press. Cylindrical billets of Al-6063 are pre-
heated in stage wise furnaces before extrusion. Dies made
of heat-treated and surface hardened H13 steel are also
preheated before placed into extrusion chamber (con-
tainer). The container is maintained at around 420–475 C,
but the temperature increases to well above 520 C due to
heats of friction and plastic deformation. Time-to-failure of
die is expressed in terms of total number of billets extruded
before failure. In general, these dies have different profiles
and complexity level and contain certain common features.
All the dies were ranked according to their extrusion ratios
(as an indication of increasing die complexity) and plotted
against the die life as shown in Fig. 9. It can be seen that
die life decreases as the extrusion ratio increases. Consid-
ering extrusion ratio of 25 (as assumed in the current
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46 J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49

Fig. 7 Variation of die life

580 Morrow's stress-life approach
cycles (number of billets
extruded) with temperature (a) Morrow's strain-life approach
and strain rate (b)
530

480

Temperature (°C)
430

Strain rate: 1 sec-1

Fillet radius: 2 mm
380
Bearing length: 8 mm
Extrusion ratio: 25

330

280
100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 1000000 1E+08 1E+09 1E+10 1E+11 1E+12
(a) log (N f )

16
15 Morrow's stress-life approach
14 Morrow's strain-life approach
13
12
11
Strain rate (1/sec)

10
9
8
7 Temperature: 420°C
Fillet radius: 2 mm
6
Bearing length: 8 mm
5 Extrusion ratio: 25
4
3
2
1
0
1000 10000 100000 1000000 10000000 100000000 1000000000 1E+10 1E+11
(b) log (N f )

simulation model), the die life is about 700 number of
billets indicated by arrows in Fig. 9. Taking into consid-
eration die life resulting from simulation case which is
most close with industrial conditions (Fig. 8b), the pre-
dicted die life of 610 billets resulted from stress-based
approach (shown by arrows in Fig. 8b) is in close agree-
ment with actual industrial data as compared with predicted
die life of 2379 billets from strain-life approach. This
shows that the stress-life approach can be more suitably
applied in the case of hot extrusion dies.
Effect of Process Parameters and Die Features
As can be observed from simulation results (Table 1), von
Mises stress and maximum principal strain at potential
fatigue regions in the die reduces with increasing extrusion
temperature. This is likely due to the reduced flow stress
and elastic modulus of the billet at higher temperature. As
expected, these reduced stress and strain conditions at
critical die location resulted in high life cycles prediction
according to Eq 1 and 2, respectively. This is shown in
Fig. 7(a). It must be noted that the temperature of the
extrusion process is of vital importance, as it also deter-
mines other factors in addition to stress conditions in the
die. These include maximum extrusion speed, hardness of
the bearing surface of the die, friction conditions at the die
billet interface, surface roughness of the extrudate, etc. The
thickness of the nitride layer on the surface of the bearing
area of the extrusion die decreases and gradually dimin-
ishes due to abrasion and decomposition at high extrusion
temperature resulting in reduced die hardness. When the
nitride layer disappears, the hardened bearing land of die is
exposed, resulting in increased wearing rate due to
increased affinity with aluminum. The wearing out of the

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J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49 47

Fig. 8 Variation of die life 12

cycles (number of billets Morrow's stress-life approach Temperature: 420°C
11.5
extruded) with die bearing Morrow's strain-life approach Strain rate: 1 sec-1
length (a) and die fillet 11 Fillet radius: 2 mm
radius (b) Extrusion ratio: 25
10.5

Die bearing length (mm)

10

9.5

9
8.5

7.5

6.5

5.5
10000 100000 1000000 10000000 100000000 1000000000 10000000000 1E+11
(a) Log (N f)

3.5
Morrow's stress-life approach
Morrow's strain-life approach
3
Die fillet radius (mm)

2.5

Temperature: 420°C
1.5 Strain rate: 1 sec-1
Bearing length: 8 mm
Extrusion ratio: 25
1

0.5
100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 10000000 1E+08 1E+09 1E+10 1E+11 1E+12
(b) Log (N f)

bearing surface causes change in surface configuration and
dimensional accuracy of the extruded product. Hence, it is
not advisable to use temperature above the nitriding
temperature.
The response of a billet to extrusion process can be
influenced by the speed of deformation and hence strain
rate which are proportional to each other. According to
Saha [14], increasing the ram speed and hence strain rate
produces increase in extrusion pressure. Billet flow stress
behavior at different average strain rates is used as simu-
lation inputs for strain rate effect on die life. Flow stress
increases with increasing strain rate at any fixed tempera-
ture. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the flow stress increases with
increasing strain rate from 0.01/s, to 1–12/s at 420 C. This
fact is also reflected in simulation results. von Mises stress
and maximum principal strain values at critical fatigue
locations increase with increasing strain rate as can be
observed from Table 1. Due to highest stress and strain
values at strain rate 12/s, predicted die life is lowest in both
fatigue life concepts as shown in Fig 7(b).
von Mises stress and maximum principal strain values at
potential fatigue locations slightly increase with increasing
bearing length as given in Table 1. Such increase in stress/
strain values also resulted in reduced die life cycles as
shown in Fig. 8(a). It can be found that bearing length does
not affect the life much. Friction at the die land is one of the
controlling factors for retarding the metal flow and hence
more stress and strains can be expected with longer land.
The influence of die fillet radius on die life is shown in
Fig. 8(b). The minimum fillet radius for the die design is
1 mm. The results in Table 1 show that the optimal fillet
radius is 3 mm where stress and strain values are the min-
imum. It can be observed that die fillet with 1 mm radius
experienced highest stress and strain as compared to 2 and

123
48
Fig. 9 Variation of die life
cycles (number of billets
extruded) with extrusion ratio
(R) based on failure data of 50
dies collected from extrusion
Die Life (Number of billets)
industry. Die life corresponding
to R = 25 is shown by dashed
line
3 mm radius. Such phenomenon can be attributed to higher
resistance to flow in the case of small fillet radius.
Figure 8(b) also indicates that the die life is increasing
when the fillet radius is increasing. The trend shows that the
stress and strains will continue to decrease (hence resulting
in increasing of die life) when the fillet radius is increased.
However, it is not practical to use fillet radius that is too
large, where the final extrusion section may need more fin-
ishing operations or may not be accurate in final dimensions.
Concluding Remarks
The current investigation has shown that finite element
simulation of extrusion process integrated with fatigue
theory yield an efficient tool for the identification of critical
process parameters and die design features in the case of
fatigue being the dominating failure mode. It was found
that Morrow’s stress based concept results in less number
of die life cycles as compared to Morrow’s strain-based
approach and it can be concluded that stress-based
approach (high-cycle fatigue) is more suitable to apply in
the case of extrusion die life. It is also validated by real die
failure data on extrusion dies. Die life was found increasing
with increasing temperature and reducing with increasing
strain rate. Such behavior is likely associated with billet
flow stress, which reduces with temperature and increases
with strain rate. High-flow stress results in high die
stresses/strains and hence more susceptible to short life.
Small die fillet radius severely reduces die life due to more
resistance to flow at die entry. Bearing length was found to
have small effect on die life. Long bearing length results in
comparatively reduced life. With the help of case studies
for each variable, the validity and efficiency of established
123
J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2010) 10:38–49
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130
Extrusion Ration (R)
fatigue failure approaches are verified and it can be very
helpful for the identification of critical process parameters
and design features in die fatigue life.
Acknowledgment The authors acknowledge the support of King
Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia,
for this work through project # SB080002.
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