Advantages and Disadvantages of Extrusion

Difference Between Direct Extrusion and Indirect Extrusion

Impact Extrusion
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 (A0/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
The defects in extruded products can be classified into three categories:
1.Center burst
2.Piping
3.Surface cracking

(a) Center burst:

Center burst defect is an internal crack that develops as a result of tensile stresses along the center line of the
workpart during the extrusion process. Although tensile stresses may not usually be seen in a compression
process such as extrusion process, tensile stresses tend to occur under conditions that cause large deformation
in the regions of the work away from the central axis. The significant amount of material movement in these
outer regions stretches the material along the center of the product. If the stresses are high, a bursting occurs.
Conditions that promote center burst defect are high die angles, low extrusion ratios and impurities in the
work metal that serve as starting points for crack defects. It is difficult to identify the center burst defect.
Center burst is an internal defect that is usually not noticeable by visual inspection. Other names of the center
burst defect include Arrowhead fracture, center cracking and Chevron cracking.

(b) Piping:

Piping is a defect associated with a direct extrusion. As in the above figure, it is the formation of a sinkhole at
the end of the billet. The use of a dummy block whose diameter is somewhat less than that of the billet helps
to avoid a piping defect in the extrusion process. Other names of the piping defect are tailpipe and fishtailing.

(c) Surface cracking:

Surface cracking defect results from high workpart temperatures that cause cracks to develop at the surface.
They often occur when extrusion speed is very high, leading to high strain rates and associated heat
generation. Other factors contributing to surface cracking defect in extrusion process are high friction and
surface chilling of high-temperature billets in the hot extrusion process.
 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 with a standard extrusion ram without a mandrel 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.