See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/240381134

A study of die failure mechanisms in aluminum extrusion

Article  in  Journal of Materials Processing Technology · March 2003

DOI: 10.1016/S0924-0136(02)01116-0

CITATIONS READS

89 6,106

3 authors:

Abul Fazal Arif Anwar Khalil Sheikh

McMaster University King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
228 PUBLICATIONS   2,769 CITATIONS    116 PUBLICATIONS   1,576 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Sayyad Zahid Qamar

Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
120 PUBLICATIONS   992 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Online monitoring of BUE formation during machining stainless steels using different sensors View project

Impact Resistance of Composite Plates and Pipes View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Sayyad Zahid Qamar on 17 January 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328

A study of die failure mechanisms in aluminum extrusion

A.F.M. Arif*, A.K. Sheikh, S.Z. Qamar
Mechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals,
Box 1467, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Received 27 November 2001; received in revised form 27 November 2001; accepted 12 November 2002

Abstract

A very important factor contributing to the performance and economics (ef®ciency 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. Initiation and propagation of die damage can be caused by a number of mechanisms. Analysis of
tool and die failure thus plays an important role in the prediction and prevention of die failure, and subsequently in improving process
economics. This depends to a large extent on the knowledge of the manufacturing and service history of the failed tool and die. Such
information is generally not very easily available, and especially not for a large number of die failures and a large spectrum of die pro®les.
Very few articles are available in literature that present failure analysis based on a substantial sample size of real die breakdowns. The three
most commonly reported modes of die failure are fatigue-based fracture, wear, and plastic deformation/de¯ection. Shape complexity of the
die pro®le plays an important role in hot extrusion of aluminum alloys. The paper presents results of an ongoing study about the relationship
between die pro®le and modes of die failure. A total of 616 die failures involving 17 different die pro®les were studied, in collaboration with a
local industrial setup. All dies were made of H-13 steel, while the billet material was Al-6063 in all the cases. The analysis presented here
re¯ects three different perspectives: (a) overall and class-wise break-up of failure modes, (b) failure analysis for dies of different complexities,
and (c) shape-wise breakdown of each failure mode.
# 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Die failure; Aluminum extrusion; Metal-forming process

1. Introduction based on special material and processing, very ®ne toler-

ances, and high demands on repeated thermo-mechanical
The bulk of structural aluminum pro®les used in the performance, the most critical extrusion component is per-
construction industry is produced through hot extrusion. haps the die. How often a die has to be scrapped and replaced
Preheated and properly sized billets of Al-6063 are forced, with a new one directly contributes to the commercial
by the action of a ram, through a die set (separately pre- viability of producing a certain pro®le. It is therefore of
heated) placed in the extrusion press container (maintained considerable interest to investigate the various factors that
at a compatible temperature). The die may be round or contribute to catastrophic or progressive die failure.
rectangular or pro®led, and may vary in shape from simple to This paper reports some interesting observations from an
quite complicated. ongoing study aimed at identifying and analyzing different
mechanisms that lead to extrusion die failure.
1.1. Extrusion die failure
1.2. Extrusion die and tooling
Productivity, cost, and quality of the extruded pro®les are
of course the overriding commercial factors. And all the Flat-face dies are generally used in the hot extrusion
three are directly related to the performance of the die, apart of aluminum alloys. The die and tooling arrangement
from other factors such as billet material, extrusion press and employed in the direct extrusion of soft and medium grade
ancillary equipment capability, and latter operations such as aluminum alloys (1100, 3000 and 6000 series, obviously
age hardening, anodizing and painting. Due to its high cost, including Al-6063) is shown in Fig. 1. Functions of the
various components shown are listed in Table 1.
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: ‡966-3-860-2579; fax: ‡966-3-860-2949. Con®guration of a solid ¯at-face die is shown schemati-
E-mail address: afmarif@kfupm.edu.sa (A.F.M. Arif). cally in Fig. 2 [1]. The most crucial part of any die is the

0924-0136/02/$ ± see front matter # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0924-0136(02)01116-0
 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328 319

Fig. 1. Die and tooling configuration for hot extrusion of Al-6063 [1].

bearing used to control the dimensions, pro®le, surface used in the construction sector. Some of the more common
®nish and speed of extrusion. It also plays a vital part in ones are shown in Fig. 3. A partially open rectangular
determining the die life. Friction at the die land (bearing extension, usually attached to a hollow pro®le, is called a
surface) retards and thus controls the metal ¯ow. tongue. The slotted groove on which a rubber lining is later
As the generation of a hollow shape requires a solid ®tted, typically for door and window brackets, is known as a
obstruction to metal ¯ow in the middle, which cannot be path or brush path. Any sharp corner or sudden cross-section
supported in a die alone, a ¯ow obstruction/distribution plate change is referred to as a corner. The ¯ow distribution/
called a mandrel is placed in front of the die. The three control passages provided in the feeder plate (solid die) or
common die types used to produce hollow pro®les are mandrel (hollow die) are called cavities. Small appendages
bridge, spider and porthole dies. to the main pro®le, in effect minor sub-pro®les, are termed
details. A screw hole/boss, as the name implies, is used
1.3. Profile terminology later for fastening the extruded section to a structure. A very
small protrusion, either sharp or rounded, is designated as
Just as some terms are typically related to elements of an a tip.
extrusion die, there is almost a standard terminology used to
describe various features of the extrusion pro®les commonly 1.4. Shape complexity

The complexity of an extrusion, according to a popular

Table 1 de®nition [2], is a function of the ratio of the perimeter to
Aluminum extrusion press and tooling the cross-sectional area of the part, known as the complexity
Component Function index or shape factor. Thus a solid round extrusion is the
simplest shape. Shapes are generally classi®ed into three
Die Produces the extrusion shape/profile
Die holder/ring Holds the die, the feeder plate and the die backer groups according to their complexity: solid, semi-hollow, and
together hollow. Based on this classi®cation, complexity increases
Die backer Provides support to the die against collapse or fracture from solid to semi-hollow to hollow shapes. Traditionally
Bolster Transfers the extrusion load from the die to the de®ned semi-hollow products appear to be almost like solid
pressure ring/pad
sections, but their form makes the use of a single-piece
Pressure ring/pad Transfers the extrusion load from the bolster to the
press platen and also guards against bolster deflection die impracticable. In this paper, however, a semi-hollow
Die carrier/slide Holds together the complete die set (bolster pro®le refers to one that has a fully hollow part together
and die ring) with some extensions, implying that its complexity index
Feeder plate Placed in front of the die, it balances the metal flow may be higher than that of a purely hollow section. Fig. 4
and allows continuous extrusion without breaks
shows representative solid, hollow, and semi-hollow dies as
Liner Provides protection against thermal and mechanical
stresses to the large and expensive container de®ned here.
Stem It is fitted with the main ram to force the billet trough A few other de®nitions of complexity can be found in
the container the literature, but we will restrict the current discussion to
Dummy pad Floating or fitted in front of the stem, it protects the the broader grouping of solid, hollow, and semi-hollow
life of the costly stem
shapes.
320 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328

Fig. 2. Configuration of a solid flat-face die [1].

Fig. 3. Some features of extrusion profiles common in the construction industry.

2. Review of related literature these failures. Thedja et al. [4] describe and analyze the
progressive wear damage at the bearing surface during
Very little published work is available in the area of die extrusion. Saha [5] restricts his study of die land wear to
failures, especially in the aluminum extrusion industry. aluminum extrusion dies. Some authors, such as Guobin
Kortmann [3] studied some causes that lead to failure of et al. [6] investigate failure modes and mechanisms of tool
extrusion tooling, and suggested possible methods to avoid steels, based on laboratory experiments, but the data does

Fig. 4. Typical hollow (H), solid (S), and semi-hollow (SH) extrusion profiles, as defined in this paper.
 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328 321

not relate speci®cally to die failures, and especially not in the milieu. Consequently, some of the terminology related to die
thermo-mechanical atmosphere of aluminum extrusions. failures is also area-speci®c, though many terms are of a
Any failure analysis of extrusion dies must include their more general nature.
manufacturing and service history. Improper die material A crack refers to a visible, generally uneven ®ssure on the
composition, presence of quench cracks, scales or inclu- surface as opposed to a break that results in the component
sions, can all lead to premature die failure. A large percen- being actually broken into two or more pieces. A chip-off
tage of die failures can be traced back to heat treatment indicates a small piece chipping off from a surface, not a
problems. Other sources can be distortion during heat large enough chunk to categories it as a break. Wash-out of a
treatment, machining or service, erosion and/or pitting, surface implies tiny but signi®cant individual or aggregate
corrosion, etc. [7,8]. Once a die is passed after some trial craters and depressions caused by erosion/pitting. Plastic
runs, the most common modes of in-service failure are deformation due to thermal and/or mechanical stresses may
fatigue (brittle failure through crack propagation), wear result in a component or part of it being de¯ected or bent.
(gradual wearing out of the bearing surface), and de¯ection Severe wear and tear caused by factors such as impact, hard
(plastic deformation). metal impurities in the billet, or any other mechanism not
Brittle failures are generally located at a section change, classi®ed above, is termed as damage.
sharp corner, stamp marks, etc. Large cyclic stresses, com- The more prevalent terms used by the industry to identify
bined with regions of high stress concentration in cavities, failure mechanisms related to various die/tooling features
lead to crack growth. The high-strength hardened material commonly encountered in construction aluminum extrusion
(H-13 steel) generally results in a brittle failure. are listed in Table 2. For purposes of analysis, they have been
Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is formed on the billet surface divided into ®ve major classes. All fatigue related failures,
during preheating, its hardness comparable to some dia- surface fatigue, and microchipping/cracking due to mechan-
monds. Similarly, iron oxides form on the die bearing sur- ical and/or thermal stresses are categorized as fracture.
face. Friction between the billet and the die land results in Gradual surface deterioration due to various factors is
accumulation of wear with use. The die cavity is often classi®ed as wear. Going out of shape (bending or de¯ec-
unevenly worn out due to higher wear at stress concentration tion) of a part or sub-component owing to excessive plastic
locations. deformation is labeled as de¯ection. When failure is due to a
Preheating of the billet and die, together with the heat of combination of any of the above-mentioned factors, it is
deformation and friction during extrusion, create high tem- termed mixed mode. Failures that cannot be precisely cate-
peratures (400±470 8C). High pressure, in the range of gorized into one of the above, such as overall softening of the
2000±2700 psi, is required to force the billet through the die or bearing area due to a fault in the nitriding oven, fall
die opening; frictional forces at the container±billet and die± under the miscellaneous category. When the die set has to be
billet interfaces are the contributing factors. Unsymmetrical scrapped due to any failure occurring in the mandrel (only
pro®les can create force imbalance. Coupled with the high for hollow and semi-hollow dies), the classi®cation is man-
temperature, this can lead to plastic deformation (de¯ection) drel failure.
of the mandrel which, in turn, creates extra stresses on the
bearing surface. De¯ection or fracture of the mandrel/die is
the usual outcome. 4. Results and discussion

All the data for this work were collected in collaboration

3. Die failure mechanisms with a local industrial setup, Aluminum Products Company
(ALUPCO), Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The statistics and
The bulk of aluminum extrusion ®nds application in the analysis cover 17 different die pro®les, and a total of 616
construction industry. Most of the extruded shapes in hot die failures. Die material was H-13 steel and the billet
extrusion of Al-6063 are thus native to the construction material was Al-6063 in all the cases. All extrusions were

Table 2
Categorization of die failure mechanisms

Failure mode Failure mechanisms

Fracture (F) Path/brush-path broken (PB/BPB), bearing chip-off (BCO), corner crack (CC), die broken/cracked (DB/DC),
bearing broken/cracked (BB/BC), cavity broken (CvB), detail brken (DtB), screw/screw-hole broken (ScB/SHB),
surface cracked (SfC), tongue broken/cracked (TB/TC), tip broken (TpB)
Wear (W) Bearing wash-out (BWO), dimension change/oversize/overweight (DimC/OS/OW)
Deflection (D) Cavity/die deflected (CvD/Df), tongue bent/deflected (TBt/TDf)
Mixed mode (Mx)
Miscellaneous (Msc) Bearing/cavity damage (BDm/CvDm), die/bearing soft (DS/BS), nitriding oven failure (NOF)
Mandrel failure (M) Mandrel broken/cracked/deflected (MB/MC/MDf)
322 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328

Fig. 5. (a) Sketches of the die profiles used in the study; (b) sketches of the die profiles used in the study.

performed on a fully computerized 3500 t capacity SMS- The observations support intuitive reasoning. With the
Hasenclever press. Fig. 5 shows simpli®ed sketches of all the large number of sharp corners, projections and protrusions,
die pro®les included in this study. slots and grooves, combination of thin and thick sections,
Table 3 lists all the failure mechanisms, categorized into and the general lack of symmetry present in most of the solid
the ®ve failure modes discussed above. Die type tells us as well as hollow pro®les, fatigue-based failures (both
whether the die is of the solid (S), hollow (H) or semi-hollow thermal and mechanical) should be expected to be the
(SH) pro®le. Number of cavities refers to the number of principal failure mode. With the continually repeated fric-
pro®le cavities arranged in a prescribed layout in a multiple- tion between the extremely hard aluminum-oxide layer on
cavity die. Normalized failure probabilities have been the billet and the iron-oxide layer at the bearing surface, and
worked out for each failure mechanism, and for each major the repeated renitriding during die maintenance cycles, wear
failure mode. at the die land should be the likely second major failure
mode. Also, with the elevated temperatures and pressures
4.1. Overall analysis involved, and the necessity of relatively high extrusion
speeds aimed at higher productivity, plastic deformation
Fig. 6(a) shows an overall break-up of die failure modes. and de¯ection of critical sections should closely follow
It is quite evident that the dominant failure mode, for all the other two failure modes. The rest of the failure classes
die shapes taken on the whole, is fatigue fracture (46%) are obviously not major players in the die failure arena.
followed by wear (26%) and then de¯ection (19%). Mixed It is interesting to note from Fig. 6(b) that the leading
failure modes (4%) and the various failure mechanisms fracture-type failure is that related to path/brush-path break-
categorized as miscellaneous (2%) comprise the remaining down. Again, in retrospect, it is quite obvious that in the
die failure patterns. Failures caused at the mandrel (including aluminum construction industry, brush paths are the most
all the three modes: fracture, wear and de¯ection) constitute frequently repeated critical section and thus play a predo-
3% of the total failures. minant role in fatigue failures.
 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328 323

Table 3
Failures of dies of different types by various failure modes

Die no. Die type No. of cavities Failures

Fracture Wear Deflection Mixed mode Miscellaneous Mandrel Die type total

H9025 H 3 3 1 4
4 2 21 16 3 1 2 45
H9036 H 2 13 7 1 1 3 25
3 21 2 1 1 1 26
H9054 H 1 8 2 2 5 17
2 1 3 1 5
H9056 H 2 2 16 15 3 2 38
H9077 H 1 1 1 2
2 1 7 9 2 19
H9079 H 2 1 1
3 4 5 9
4 2 1 1 4
H9330 H 4 1 8 12 2 23
H9383 H 1 6 14 2 1 23
S9021 S 2 10 5 1 2 18
S9007 S 1 47 2 1 1 51
2 13 13
S9018 S 1 25 7 5 3 40
2 17 2 1 2 22
S9035 S 2 20 1 21
4 43 5 48
S9067 S 1 14 2 2 18
S9068 S 1 6 5 11
S9087 S 1 16 11 2 29
H9033 SH 2 5 3 2 10
3 4 8 17 2 31
H9034 SH 2 20 15 5 1 3 44
3 12 2 5 19
Failure mode total 288 158 116 25 12 17 616

Fig. 6(c) indicates that wear failures are almost exclu- nitriding oven next in line. Note should be taken of the fact
sively of the dimension-change type (oversize and over- that nitriding oven failures indicate sub-optimal hardening
weight are also categories of the same). In this case, even and/or heat treatment of the die, making the die and its
though only part of the bearing surface has been worn out, bearing surface softer than required, leading to incorrect
the extrusions are so much out-of-dimensions that they extrusion shapes and other ¯aws.
cannot be passed. Thus most of the dies have to be scrapped
much before complete wash-out of the die land. It should be 4.2. Complexity-based failure analysis
pointed out here that this die rejection takes place after
several correction, cleaning and renitriding cycles have Solid dies are generally the lowest on the complexity
already taken place, and repair of the bearing surface is scale. Of course, a very intricate solid pro®le can have a
no more feasible. higher complexity index than a very simple hollow pro®le
Again, as should be expected, de¯ection-type failures but solid dies, as a class, are usually simpler. Also, absence
(Fig. 6(d)) are almost exclusively found at the bearing. With of the mandrel, a necessary added tooling component for
uneven and unsymmetrical sections, and maximum pres- hollow dies, contributes to process simplicity. Fig. 7(a)
sures and friction forces working here, the bearing is the shows, as already hinted at in the general analysis, that
most likely location to be excessively plastically deformed. fatigue/fracture (77%) is the principal failure category
As tongues are minor bearing surfaces in themselves, they among solid dies. Wear contributes a meager 15%, while
are the next obvious de¯ection concentration locations; de¯ection failure is an almost insigni®cant 3%. Obviously,
but as tongues are not present in most of the dies, their there is no mandrel failure. It can perhaps be inferred that in
contribution is only a small fraction of the total de¯ection the absence of a mandrel and consequent ¯ow disruptions
failures. and rewelding of the metal before entry into the bearing
Miscellaneous die failures, Fig. 6(e), also follow the cavity (as in hollow dies), forces at the die land in a solid die
predictable pattern, that of bearing damage being the major are far less wear-critical. A similar reasoning would indicate
contributor, with die/bearing softening and failure of the lower heat of friction and deformation which, together with
324 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328

Fig. 6. (a) Overall break-up of die failure modes; (b) break-up of fracture failures (288 fracture failures out of 616 total failures); (c) break-up of wear-type
failures (158 wear failures out of 616 total failures); (d) break-up of deflection-type failures (116 deflection failures out of 616 total failures); (e) break-up of
miscellaneous die failures (12 miscellaneous failures out of 616 total failures).
 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328 325

Fig. 7. (a) Failure mode probabilities for solid dies (271 solid die failures out of 616 total failures); (b) failure mode probabilities for hollow dies (241 hollow
die failures out of 616 total failures); (c) failure mode probabilities for semi-holow dies (104 semi-hollow die failures out of 616 total failures).

lower extrusion forces, would minimally contribute to plastic and hollow pro®les can lead to a possible explanation. Of the
deformation and de¯ection. various dies selected for this study, hollow dies are usually
For hollow dies, Fig. 7(b), fracture is relegated to a mere pure hollows, with few, if any, projections like tongues, brush
17%, while wear (36%) and de¯ection (33%) are almost paths, etc. Minor grooves, slots, projections, and other details
equally dominant failure modes. Mandrel failures constitute involving sharp corners and abrupt section changes are gen-
a not insigni®cant 6% of hollow die write-offs. The pre- erally far more prevalent in solid dies than in hollow ones.
dominance of wear and de¯ection failures in hollow dies This implies a signi®cantly lower contribution of fracture
has just been rationalized above, additional ¯ow distribution failures in hollow dies.
cavities of the mandrel and the subsequent weld chambers Semi-hollow dies (a fully hollow section together with
not only adding to the complexity of the die set, but perhaps some semi-hollow extensions, according to our classi®ca-
also creating increased forces and friction and higher tem- tion) show a very peculiar trend. All the three major failure
peratures at bearing entry. This increased proportion of wear types play almost equal roles, with 34% fracture breakdowns,
and de¯ection breakdowns is understandable, but what is and 29% each of wear and de¯ection failures; Fig. 7(c). This
the reason behind the signi®cantly lower contribution of should be expected. Semi-hollow dies are a cross between
fracture failures? A careful look at a wide variety of solid hollow and solid ones; the presence of a mandrel creates its
326 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328

Fig. 8. (a) Shape-wise distribution of fracture-related failures (288 fracture failures out of 616 total failures); (b) shape-wise distribution of wear-related
failures (158 wear failures out of 616 total failures); (c) shape-wise distribution of deflection-related failures (116 deflection failures out of 616 total failures);
(d) shape-wise distribution of mixed-mode failures (25 mixed-mode failures out of 616 total failures); (e) shape-wise distribution of miscellaneous failures
(12 miscellaneous failures out of 616 total failures); (f) shape-wise distribution of mandrel-related failures (17 mandrel failures out of 616 total failures).
 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328 327

innate complications, while the semi-solid extension accounts any distinct failure mode), and 17 breakdowns related to the
for the added details contributing to fracture. mandrel. Total number of failures belonging to the solid
Let us be reminded here that all probabilities have been category was 271, that of the hollow type was 241, and the
normalized, considering the total number of failures (616) remaining 104 were of semi-hollow shape.
for all the dies, as against only solid or only hollow dies. Important terms related to attributes of an aluminum
For instance, the probability of fracture failures in solid dies extrusion die were discussed. Some characteristic features
reported here is 34.25% (based on 211 solid fracture failures of extrusion pro®les commonly and repeatedly used in the
out of a total 616 die failures studied) instead of 79.62% (211 construction sector were identi®ed. Mechanisms of die
fracture failures out of 265 total failures in solid dies). failure were classi®ed into broader groups, including the
three major modes of fatigue fracture, plastic deformation/
4.3. Shape-wise breakdown of each failure class de¯ection, and wear.
On an overall basis, all types of dies considered together,
We have just seen the distribution of major failure modes the predominant failure mode was fracture (46%), followed
for each shape category separately. Fig. 8 looks at things from by wear (26%), de¯ection (19%), mixed mode (4%), mis-
the opposite viewpoint, taking each failure class and studying cellaneous (2%), and mandrel-related (3%). The major
the failure spread for the different die shapes (solid, hollow fracture-type failure was due to cracking/breaking of the
and semi-hollow). If we take only fracture failures (288 out of brush path, the main wear-related one was of the dimension-
a total 616 breakdowns), 74% of these failures were in solid change variety, and the foremost de¯ection failure was
dies, 14% in hollow dies and 12% in semi-hollow ones; located at the bearing. Bearing damage was also the primary
Fig. 8(a). The interesting point to note is that this indicates cause of miscellaneous breakdowns.
almost equal probabilities of failure by fracture for both Considering solid dies alone, fracture (77%) was the
hollow and semi-hollow dies, but to a lesser extent than that dominant failure mode, followed by some wear (15%)
for solid ones. This supports our earlier inference that the pre- and a small fraction of de¯ection (3%). For the hollow dies,
dominant failure mechanism for solid dies is fatigue fracture. wear (36%) and de¯ection (33%) were the major failure
Fig. 8(b) reveals that out of the 158 dies failing through contributors, fracture being just 17%. In the semi-hollow
wear-related problems, 56% were hollow, 25% were solid, shape category, all failure classes played almost equal parts,
and 19% were semi-hollow. The large proportion of hollow 34% fracture, 29% wear and 29% de¯ection.
dies failing by this mode is expected, con®rming the pre- Looking at each failure mode separately, fracture was found
vious conclusion that hollow dies fail primarily through to be mostly in solid dies (74%), followed by a 14% share in
wear. But it is worth noticing that the failure response of hollow dies and 12% in semi-hollow ones. Of the breakdowns
solid and semi-hollow dies to wear is not far different from related to wear, 56% were in hollow dies, 25% in solid ones,
each other, even though one class employs mandrels while and 19% in semi-hollow dies. Out of the dies scrapped due to
the other does not. plastic deformation, 68% were hollow, 26% were semi-hollow
Out of 116 dies scrapped due to plastic deformation and a mere 6% were solid. Mixed-mode failures were mostly
(Fig. 8(c)), 68% were hollow, 26% semi-hollow, and a paltry in hollow dies (69%), miscellaneous ones in solids (58%) and
6% were solid. Additional friction, temperatures and forces mandrel breakdowns predominantly in hollow dies (82%).
at the bearing inlet due to the presence of the mandrel and Analysis of the graphs lead to some very exciting infer-
reweld chambers in hollow dies, as explained earlier, would ences, such as fatigue fracture being the principal failure
indicate the large proportion of de¯ection failures going to mode for solid dies, wear and de¯ection being almost equally
hollow dies. But it is interesting to note that the share of solid responsible for hollow die failures, and all the three major
dies in this failure type is almost inconsequential. failure modes contributing almost evenly to breakdowns
Mixed-mode failures, when more than one failure mode of semi-hollow dies. Most of the conclusions appear to have
was found to be the cause of die rejection (Fig. 8(d)) were a sound basis in the physics of hot aluminum extrusion.
predominant in hollow dies (69%), miscellaneous break- However, more failure data can be collected to include a
downs (Fig. 8(e)) in solid dies (58%), and mandrel failures wider range of shape complexities within each pro®le type
(Fig. 8(f)) in hollow ones (82%). Obviously, solid dies have (solid, hollow and semi-hollow), and to have a large enough
no mandrel failures. failure database to generalize the conclusions arrived at
above. Also, different prevalent de®nitions of shape com-
plexity may be incorporated into the study to try to ascertain
5. Conclusions and future directions how complexity indexes are related to die failure modes.

The study covered 17 different die pro®les, and 616 die

failures in commercial extrusion of Al-6063. There were Acknowledgements
288 failures due to fatigue fracture, 158 owing to gradual
wear, 116 because of plastic deformation and de¯ection, 25 The authors acknowledge the support of King Fahd
mixed-mode type, 12 miscellaneous ones (not attributable to University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran,
328 A.F.M. Arif et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 134 (2003) 318±328

Saudi Arabia, and ALUPCO, Dammam, Saudi Arabia for [4] W.W. Thedja, B.K. Muller, D. Ruppin, Tribological processes on the
this work. die land area during extrusion of AA6063, in: Proceedings of the Fifth
International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar, Aluminum
Association and Aluminum Extruders Council, 1992.
References [5] P.K. Saha, Thermodynamics and tribology in aluminum extrusion,
Wear 218 (1998) 179±190.
[1] P.K. Saha, Aluminum Extrusion Technology, ASM International, [6] L. Guobin, L. Xiangzhi, W. Jianjun, Study of the thermal fatigue crack
Materials Park, OH, 2000. initial life of H13 and H21 steels, J. Mater. Process. Technol. 74 (1±3)
[2] J.A. Schey, Introduction to Manufacturing Processes, 3rd ed., (1998) 23±26.
McGraw-Hill, New York, 2000. [7] K. Laue, H. Stenger, Extrusion Processes and Tooling, American
[3] W.A. Kortmann, Failure in extrusion tooling: causes and methods of Society for Metals, Metals Park, OH, 1982.
avoiding failures, in: Proceedings of the Second International [8] Metals Handbook, vol. 11, Failure Analysis and Prevention, 9th ed.,
Congress of Aluminum, Aluminum 2000, 2000, pp. 219±231. American Society for Metals, Metals Park, OH, 1986.

View publication stats