Subject Name: METAL WORKING [486-S]

Topic: EXTRUSION

Module: 4.0

Semester: 4th (2nd Year)

Department: Metallurgical Engineering

Faculty Name: Saugata Rakshit

Institution Name: Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar Polytechnic, Jhargram

 Extrusion Processes

Extrusion: Extrusion is a Secondary Metal Working Process by which a block of metal is

reduced in its cross sectional area by forcing it to flow through die orifice under high pressure.

Extrusion is used to produce cylindrical bars or hollow tubes, but shapes of irregular cross
section may be produced from the most readily extrudable metals like Aluminium.

Because of the large forces required in extrusion, most metals are extruded in hot condition,
where the deformation resistance of the metal is low. Cold Extrusion is possible for many
metals and has become an important commercial process.

The reaction between extrusion billet with container and die results in high compressive stress
which is effective in reducing the cracking of metals during primary breakdown from the ingot.
This is an important reason for the increased utilization of extrusion in the working of difficult
formed metals like Stainless Steel, Nickel based alloys and high temperature materials.

Type of Extrusion:

1. Direct Extrusion.
2. Indirect Extrusion.

Direct Extrusion: The metal billet is placed in a container and driven through the die by
means of a Ram. A Dummy Block or Pressure plate is placed at the end of the ram in contact
with the billet.

Indirect Extrusion: A hollow ram carries the die, while the other end of the container is
closed with a plate. Ram containing the die is kept stationery while the container with the billet
is caused to move. Because there is no relative motion between the wall of container and billet,
the friction forces are lower. The power requirement is lower than Direct Extrusion.

SL No Direct Extrusion Indirect Extrusion

1. Container and Die Fixed and Ram Ram & Die fixed, Container is
is moving. moving.
2. Solid Ram. Hollow Ram.
3. Friction High. Friction Low
4. Power requirement high. Power requirement low.
5. Load requirement is high due to Load requirement is low due to
solid ram. hollow ram.
6. Direction of product is same with Direction of product is opposite
the direction of Billet and Ram. to the direction of Billet and Ram.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Extrusion

SL no Advantages Disadvantages
1. Continuous in operation. Variation in size of product.
2. Flexibility in operation. Product Limitation because
only one type of cross section
can be obtained
3. High Production volume. High Initial set up cost.
4. Low cost per piece.
5. Surface finish is good.
6. Better Mechanical properties obtained in Cold
extrusion.
7. Many types of raw materials it is used.

Applications of Extrusion:

Hot Extrusion: Electrical Wires, Bars, Tubes.

Cold Extrusion: Collapsible Tubes, Gear Blanks, Aluminium Cans, Cylinder.

Impact Extrusion:
1> Either Direct or Indirect Extrusion.
2> Performed in High speed Mechanical Press.
3> The Process is generally performed in cold condition, considerable heating results into
high speed deformation.
4> Restricted to Softer metal like Pb, Sn, Al, Cu.
5> Used to produce short length of hollow shapes such as Collapsible Toothpaste tube.

Cold Extrusion:
1> Referred to as Cold Forming.
2> Axi symmetric parts are particularly suited for cold forming.
3> High Production rate.
4> Good Dimensional accuracy.
5> Good Surface finish.
6> Use cheaper materials of low alloy content because of strain hardening.
7> Extensive use of low alloy steel in Automotive Industry.

Impact Extrusion:
1> The billet is subjected to uniform hydrostatic pressure.
2> Pressurized fluid (1.7 GPa) in a closed chamber.
3> Friction is lowest. No contact with the work piece & container.
4> No filling up of container is required. So billet of any shape can be extruded.
5> Obtainable extrusion ratio for steel 20:1 to soft metals like 200:1.
6> Material with high brittleness can be processed.
7> Pressurized fluid at higher pressure and higher temperature. Container should
withstand high temperature, Lubricant should withstand high pressure, not solidify.
8> Process is costly.

Extrusion Equipments
Extrusion is done in Hydraulic presses. It is

1> Horizontal Extrusion Press.

2> Vertical Extrusion Press.

Vertical Extrusion Press:

i) Press capacity is 3-20 MN.

ii) Easier alignment between press Ram & Tools.
iii) Less Floor Space requirement.
iv) Uniform cooling of the billet inside the container, uniform deformation will result.

Horizontal Extrusion Press:

i) Press capacity is 15-50 MN.

ii) More Floor Space requirement.
iii) Bottom of the billet lies with the container cool more rapidly than the Top surface unless the
container is internally heated. Therefore the deformation is non uniform.

2. Ram Speed:  High Ram speed is required for High temperature extrusion. Ram speed
is 0.4-0.6 m/sec for extruding Refractory Material. For Aluminium, Copper which is prone to
Hot Shortness ram speed is restricted to few mm/sec.

3. Dies:  Dies must withstand high stress, oxidation and thermal stress. There are two types
of dies. 1> Flat Faced Dies, 2> Dies with conical entrance angle (45-60o).

4. Billet Heating Facilities: To heat the billet before pushing in the container.

5. Automatic Transfer Equipments: To transfer the heated billet in the container.

6. Container Heating Facilities: Provision of Container heating facilities also required.

7. Hot Saw: Hot Saw is there to cut off the undesirable or defective portion of the extruded
product. The defective part of the billet is known as Butt portion. Butt portion should be
removed from the die.

Alternatively extrusion can be done using a carbon block between billet and follower. This
allows extrusion to be carried out without Butt portion.

7. Run out table: For catching the extruded product.

8. Stretcher: To correct the minor war page in the extruded product..

Extrusion Variables
1> Type of Extrusion.
2> Extrusion Ratio.
3> Working Temperature.
 4> Speed of Deformation.
5> Frictional Conditions at the die and container wall.

1. Type of Extrusion: Extrusion Pressure is plotted against Ram Travel for direct
and Indirect Extrusion.

Extrusion Pressure = Force/Initial Billet cross sectional area.

i) The rapid rise in extrusion pressure during the initial ram travel is due
to Initial Compression of the billet to fill the Extrusion container.
ii) For Direct Extrusion, Metals begin to flow through the die at the
maximum value of pressure, It is known as Breakthrough Pressure.
iii) As the billet extrudes through the die, the pressure required to
maintain flow progressively decreases with decreasing length of the
billet in the container.
iv) For Indirect Extrusion  There is no relative motion between the billet
and the container wall, so the extrusion pressure is approximately
constant with increasing Ram Travel.
v) At the end of Stroke, the pressure builds up rapidly and it is usual to
stop the Ram travel so as to leave and discard in the container. The
discard often contains defects which are unwanted in the product.

2. Extrusion Ratio (R): = (Initial Cross Sectional area of the Billet)/(Final Cross
Sectional area of Extruded Product).

Extrusion Ratio = R = (A0/Af)

Reduction of area: r = (A0 - Af)/ Ao = (1 - Af/A0)

R = 1/(1-r)

Extrusion Ratios reach about 40:1 for Hot extrusion of Steel may be as high as
400:1 for Aluminium. Volume & Mass of the metal remains constant,

The velocity of the extruded products = Ram Velocity X R [R = Extrusion Ratio]

Extrusion Pressure (P) = K A0 ln (Ao/Af)

3. Temperature: Most of the metals extruded in Hot condition, so as to take

advantage of decrease in flow stress or deformation with increasing
temperature.

Too high Temp causes problem of oxidation of the billet, Hot Shortness,
Softening of Die tools, difficult to provide lubrication. Temperature also
generates due to internal heating of the metal due to excessive deformation in
Extrusion and also friction between billet and container wall.

So the working temperature should be such that provide the metal with suitable
plasticity but safely below the temperature range at which Hot Shortness
occurs.

4. Speed of Deformation: Increase Ram speed produces an increase in extrusion

pressure. A 10% increase in Ram Speed results in 50% increase in Extrusion
pressure. Greater cooling of billet occurs at low extrusion speed. So high
Extrusion speeds are required with high strength alloy that need high
temperature. The temperature rise due to deformation of metal is greater at
high extrusion speeds.

Ram Speed too fast: Thin Discontinuous lubricant coating

Ram Speed too low: Thick lubricant coating, Increase Lubricant Consumption

5. Frictional Condition: As Friction between Die and container wall with the
billet increases, more temperature will get generated, Flow stress decreases,
but metal flow is obstructed due to friction also Hot Shortness chance increases.
1. Reduces Lubrication, 2. Dead Metal Zone increases, 3. Unutilized Billet Space
increases, 4. Redundant work increases.

Dead Metal Zone: A stagnant Metal which undergoes very little deformation.

Redundant Work: The energy which is not related in change in external

dimension from the billet to the extruded product.

Extrusion Defects

1. Surface Crack: It is known as Fir Tree cracking. It occurs due to generation of

high longitudinal tensile stress.

Cause:

1. High Friction between Die and extruded product.

2. Excessive Chilling, Heated billet is placed in a cold extrusion container.
3. Bad Lubrication.
4. Too fast ram speed. Temperature increases, Hot Shortness occurs.

Remedy:

1. Use good Lubricant to reduce friction.

2. Preheat the billet before extrusion operation.

2. Centre Crack: It is known as Centre Burst. It occurs due to generation of high

secondary tensile stress. Less compactness of product as Plastic deformation
zone not overlap.

Cause:

1. Too Low Friction.

2. Too low extrusion ratio.

3. Inhomogeneous Deformation:
1. The centre of Billet move faster than periphery.
2. Dead metal zone extends along the outer surface.
 3. After 2/3rd portion of the billet is extruded, outer surface move towards
the centre and extrudes through the die.
4. Since outer surface of the billet often contains oxidized skin, this type of
flow results in internal oxide stringers.
5. This is known as “Internal Pipe”.

Cause:

1. High Friction between Container and Work piece.

2. Excessive Chilling: If heated billet is placed in a cool extrusion container.

Remedy:

1. Discard the surface oxide portion, only extrude the good portion. But in
this case productivity affected.
2. Use Follower Block, which is slight smaller in diameter than inside diameter
of extrusion container. As Ram pushes the follower block forward, it scalps
the billet and the oxidized skin remains in container.

4. Hole: Extrusion is carried out to the point at which length of the billet
remaining in the container is one quarter of its diameter, the rapid radial flow
into the die results in the formation of axial Hole or funnel.

It is at the back end of the extrusion, and therefore this metal must be
discarded. Productivity affected.

Remedy: The length of the defect can be reduced considerably by inclining the
face of the Ram at an angle to the Ram axis.

Extrusion of Tube or Pipe

Tubes or Pipes can be produced by Extrusion by attaching a mandrel to the end of
the Ram. The clearance between the mandrel and the die wall determines the
thickness of the Tube.

Tubes can be produced either by starting with a hollow billet or Solid billet by two
step extrusion operation, in which solid billet is first pierced and then extruded.
Hollow Tube or Pipe:

1. Use Hollow billet as a starting material.

2. Holes may be produced by casting, machining or by Hot piercing in a
separate press. Since the bore of the hole often get oxidized during heating,
the use of hollow billet result in a tube with an oxidized inside surface.

Solid Tube or Pipe:

1. The Piercing mandrel is actuated by a separate hydraulic system from that

which operates the Ram. Piercing mandrel moves coaxially with the Ram,
but it is independent with the motion of ram.
2. First step is to upset the billet, while piercing mandrel is withdrawn.
3. Next step the solid billet is pierced with the pointed mandrel and extruding
a metal plug through the die.
4. Ram advances and extrudes the billet over the mandrel to produce a tube.

Third Method of extruding of tube is used for Aluminium and Magnesium alloy.
Here solid billet with Porthole die is used. The metal is forced to flow into
separate streams around the central bridge which support the short mandrel. The
separated metal streams through the ports are brought together in the welding
chamber surrounding the mandrel. The metals exit from the die as a tube.
Because the separated metal streams are joined within the die, so there is no
atmospheric contamination, a perfectly sound weld is obtained.

Seamless Tube Production Process

Seamless Tube: Tube or Pipe which can be manufactured without welding or by

combination of Rolling & Extrusion process. So there is no seam. It is used for
those metals which are difficult to work. Ex: Cu, Steel
For Seamless Tube production, we use Mannesmann Mill.

A> Mannesmann Mill

1. The process employs two barrel shaped driven rolls which are set an angle
to each other.
2. An axial thrust is developed as well as rotation to the billet.
3. Because of low arc of contact high tensile stress develop along the axis of
the billet.
4. This assist in opening up the centre portion of the billet as it flows around
the piercing point to create the tube cavity.
5. Mannesmann Mill does not produce sufficient wall reduction and
elongation to produce finished hot worked tube.

B> Plug Rolling Mill

Various types of Plug Rolling Mills are there which drive the tube over a long
mandrel containing a plug. It decreases the Thickness and Inner Diameter of
the Tube.

C> Three Roll Piercing Machine

Three conical driven Rolls which produce more concentric tube with
smoother inside and outside surfaces than that of Mannesmann Mill.

D> Reeling Mill

A Reeling Mill burnishes the outside and inside surfaces and removes the
slight oval shape. It is usually the last steps in the production of Tube or
Piping.