Die design: An implicit formulation for the inverse problem

Let us call a direct extrusion problem (DEP) the problem of finding the shape of the extrudate coming out of a die of prescribed shape. An implicit finite element formulation of the DEP which is geometrically general and for which a Newton-Raphson technique can be implemented has recently been proposed by Legat and Marchal. However, the problem posed to the die designer is frequently the inverse extrusion problem (IEP), i.e. finding the die shape which produces an extrudate of prescribed shape. This paper presents an extension of our original method for solving the IEP which avoids the ‘trial-and-error’ iteration on the die geometry itself. The advantage of the formulation lies in its capability to handle complex geometrics and in its low cost, because the CPU time and memory required to solve the IEP are almost identical to those of the DEP. We present benchmark results for squares and rectangles and new results obtained for geometries involving multiple corners. For an octagonal shape we also consider the case of a power-law fluid. For all results presented in this paper, surface tension has not been included.     

Three-dimensional study of extrusion processes by Boundary Element Method.

In this paper we report an implementation of a Boundary Element Method (BEM) dealing with three-dimensional extrusion problems of viscous fluid. Die shapes with and without sharp corners and their influence on the final shape of extrudate have been studied: both shrinkage and swelling of the extrudates relative to the original die shapes have been discovered. The first half of this paper deals with the problem of implementing isoparametric boundary elements. It is followed by results of test problems, and finally the results of extrusion study are presented.     

Numerical simulation of polygonal particles moving in incompressible viscous fluids

A two-dimensional coupled lattice Boltzmann immersed boundary discrete element method is introduced for the simulation of polygonal particles moving in incompressible viscous fluids. A collision model of polygonal particles is used in the discrete element method. Instead of a collision model of circular particles, the collision model used in our method can deal with particles of more complex shape and efficiently simulate the effects of shape on particle–particle and particle–wall interactions. For two particles falling under gravity, because of the edges and corners, different collision patterns for circular and polygonal particles are found in our simulations. The complex vortexes generated near the corners of polygonal particles affect the flow field and lead to a difference in particle motions between circular and polygonal particles. For multiple particles falling under gravity, the polygonal particles easily become stuck owing to their corners and edges, while circular particles slip along contact areas. The present method provides an efficient approach for understanding the effects of particle shape on the dynamics of non-circular particles in fluids.     

The steady annular extrusion of a Newtonian liquid under gravity and surface tension

The steady extrusion of a Newtonian liquid through an annular die and its development outside and away from the die are studied under the influence of gravitational and surface tension forces. The finite element method (FEM) is used for the simulations. The positions of the inner and outer free surface profiles are calculated simultaneously with the other unknown fields, i.e. using the Newton–Raphson iterative scheme. The effects of three relevant parameters, i.e. the Reynolds, the Stokes and the capillary numbers, on the shape of the annular film are studied for two values of the inner to the outer diameter ratio, corresponding to a thick and a thin annular film respectively. A one‐dimensional model for the extrudate region, valid for thin annular films, is also presented, and its predictions are compared with the two‐dimensional finite element calculations. Despite the fact that it is valid away from the die exit, the one‐dimensional model predicts satisfactorily the effects of the Stokes and capillary numbers. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

整体壁板挤压模应力分析和提高强度的措施

 铝型材整体壁板断面宽高比大(50~100以上)、形状复杂、精度 高、壁薄以及外形轮廓与长度尺寸大等特点决定了其在大型挤压机上 采用扁挤压筒进行挤压的生产方式. 扁挤压筒的设计与制造是大型铝 合金型材挤压最为重要的关键技术，因此对其进行应力分析十分必要. 利用ANSYS有限元方法比较分析了扁挤压筒和圆挤压筒的受力特点，还 提出了提高扁挤压筒强度的具体措施.     

Sharkskin instabilities and the effect of slip from gas-assisted extrusion

This paper is concerned with a polymer extrusion instability and the effect of introducing slip by means of a thin lubricating gas layer between the extrusion die wall and the flowing polymer melt. Gas-assisted extrusion (GAE) experiments were carried out using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) for a number of different gas injection die geometries. The stress distributions within the polymer melt were monitored during extrusion using flow birefringence. Polyflow numerical simulations were used to calculate the local stress concentrations in the melt at the die exit, as these were believed to be related to the occurrence of sharkskin. Simulations were also used to observe the effect of a full slip boundary condition as imparted by GAE. A key finding of the paper is that GAE in the parallel section of the die wall simply moved the local exit stress concentration upstream to the point of gas injection, and therefore did not reduce sharkskin. Simulations indicated that for correctly designed dies, the local surface stress concentration would be reduced. However, it was found experimentally that it was not possible to obtain a stable gas layer for this die design with upstream gas injection. A numerical investigation, involving simulations of varying levels of partial slip along the die wall, indicated an optimum level of slip where the stress concentrations were reduced. It is speculated that this is the reason that coatings such as PTFE, which impart a partial slip, can reduce sharkskin while GAE does not. The findings show that a controlled level of partial slip lowers the overall stress concentrations.     

Shape morphing and topology optimization of fluid channels by explicit boundary tracking

An integrated shape morphing and topology optimization approach based on the deformable simplicial complex methodology is developed to address Stokes and Navier‐Stokes flow problems. The optimized geometry is interpreted by a set of piecewise linear curves embedded in a well‐formed triangular mesh, resulting in a physically well‐defined interface between fluid and impermeable regions. The shape evolution is realized by deforming the curves while maintaining a high‐quality mesh through adaption of the mesh near the structural boundary, rather than performing global remeshing. Topological changes are allowed through hole merging or splitting of islands. The finite element discretization used provides smooth and stable optimized boundaries for simple energy dissipation objectives. However, for more advanced problems, boundary oscillations are observed due to conflicts between the objective function and the minimum length scale imposed by the meshing algorithm. A surface regularization scheme is introduced to circumvent this issue, which is specifically tailored for the deformable simplicial complex approach. In contrast to other filter‐based regularization techniques, the scheme does not introduce additional control variables, and at the same time, it is based on a rigorous sensitivity analysis. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the approach.     

Prediction of extrudate swell in polymer melt extrusion using an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) based finite element method

Accurate prediction of extrudate (die) swell in polymer melt extrusion is important as this helps in appropriate die design for profile extrusion applications. Extrudate swell prediction has shown significant difficulties due to two key reasons. The first is the appropriate representation of the constitutive behavior of the polymer melt. The second is regarding the simulation of the free surface, which requires special techniques in the traditionally used Eulerian framework. In this paper we propose a method for simulation of extrudate swell using an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) technique based finite element formulation. The ALE technique provides advantages of both Lagrangian and Eulerian frameworks by allowing the computational mesh to move in an arbitrary manner, independent of the material motion. In the present method, a fractional-step ALE technique is employed in which the Lagrangian phase of material motion and convection arising out of mesh motion are decoupled. In the first step, the relevant flow and constitutive equations are solved in Lagrangian framework. The simpler representation of polymer constitutive equations in a Lagrangian framework avoids the difficulties associated with convective terms thereby resulting in a robust numerical formulation besides allowing for natural evolution of the free surface with the flow. In the second step, mesh is moved in ALE mode and the associated convection of the variables due to relative motion of the mesh is performed using a Godunov type scheme. While the mesh is fixed in space in the die region, the nodal points of the mesh on the extrudate free surface are allowed to move normal to flow direction with special rules to facilitate the simulation of swell. A differential exponential Phan Thien Tanner (PTT) model is used to represent the constitutive behavior of the melt. Using this method we simulate extrudate swell in planar and axisymmetric extrusion with abrupt contraction ahead of the die exit. This geometry allows the extrudate to have significant memory for shorter die lengths and acts as a good test for swell predictions. We demonstrate that our predictions of extrudate swell match well with reported experimental and numerical simulations.     

复杂工程约束下基于NSGA-Ⅲ的车身梁截面优化设计

在汽车概念设计阶段,车身常由薄壁梁简化而成,其截面对轿车白车身刚度有直接影响。多室的薄壁梁截面极其复杂,在设计过程中不仅需考虑其力学性能,还需符合制造加工过程的各种工艺约束。本文基于薄壁梁截面设计的装配性与制造性等实际工程约束,提出一种梁截面形状控制方法以兼容多种工程约束。定义了梁截面多目标优化模型,以基于参考点的遗传算法NSGA-Ⅲ作为高维多目标优化问题算法,实现了相应的软件模块对截面惯性矩和扭转常量等参数进行优化。最终通过算例测试证明此方法的有效性。     

Modeling and simulation of three‐dimensional extrusion swelling of viscoelastic fluids with PTT,Giesekus and FENE‐P constitutive models

The investigation of the extrusion swelling mechanism of viscoelastic fluids has both scientific and industrial interest. However, it has been traditionally difficult to afford theoretical and experimental researches to this problem. The numerical methodology based on the penalty finite element method with a decoupled algorithm is presented in the study to simulate three‐dimensional extrusion swelling of viscoelastic fluids flowing through out of a circular die. The rheological responses of viscoelastic fluids are described by using three kinds of differential constitutive models including the Phan‐Thien Tanner model, the Giesekus model, and the finite extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell with a Peterlin closure approximation model. A streamface‐streamline method is introduced to adjust the swelling free surface. The calculation stability is improved by using the discrete elastic‐viscous split stress algorithm with the inconsistent streamline‐upwind scheme. The essential flow characteristics of viscoelastic fluids are predicted by using the proposed numerical method, and the mechanism of swelling phenomenon is further discussed.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于ALE方法的3D充填流动模拟

基于任意拉格朗日-欧拉方法发展了三维充填流动的数值模拟方案.该方案采用ALE方法准确地追踪移动自由面的位置并避免了网格扭曲;基于移动最小二乘曲面拟合方法提出了移动自由面上网格节点重定位方法,将充填流动的网格更新过程简化为自由面附近的局部网格重划分过程,并通过分级多面体三角剖分实现,减小了网格划分的计算量,实现了实时网格生成.给出的数值算例结果表明了该数值模型对三维充填流动模拟的有效性.     

精密金属异型挤压塑性成形共形上限解及模腔优化

针对异型材精密挤压塑性成形及模腔建模理论的焦点课题，借助共形映射理论和金属塑性成形理论成果，将异型材截面域的金属挤压三维塑性流动转化为二维轴对称成形问题，建立了金属异型塑性流动的流函数、应变速度场和模具模腔等数学解析模型，应用能量上限原理，以含有对称轴叶形和六边形截面域的挤压型材模腔为例，求解了模腔优化参数，使优化模腔曲面的CAD／CAM一体化技术目标成为可能．     

Influence of die surface on the efficiency of fluoropolymer processing aids during the extrusion of linear-low density polyethylene

Nowadays, fluoropolymer based Polymer Processing Aids (PPA) are currently used to eliminate surface defects and to reduce die pressure in linear polyolefins extrusion. For 10 years, the main origins of the PPA actions are known: PPA discontinuously coat the die surface and create wall slip that delays the sharkskin defect. However, the microscopic parameters that govern PPA efficiency are not really understood. Based on several experimental measurements (Laser Doppler Velocimetry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, surface analysis), we propose an analysis of the mechanisms of PPA actions in various extrusion conditions. Different kinds of die surfaces have been studied and the results show that PPA efficiency can be greatly improved by controlling die topology and chemistry.     

预锻模具形状优化设计与有限元灵敏度分析

采用刚－粘塑性有限元灵敏度分析方法研究锻造过程的预锻模具形状优化设计问题。表示预锻模具形状的三次Ｂ样条曲线的控制系数用作设计变量。以实际终锻件与理想终锻件的形状差异为目标函数,给出了与设计变量有关的目标函数,节点坐标和节点速度等方面的灵敏度及其数学关系,对于典型的轴对称锻造过程,优化设计的预锻模具形状可获得理想的的终锻件形状,为实现净成形锻造提供了一种有效方法。     

A finite element method for free surface flows of incompressible fluids in three dimensions. Part I. Boundary fitted mesh motion

Computational fluid mechanics techniques for examining free surface problems in two‐dimensional form are now well established. Extending these methods to three dimensions requires a reconsideration of some of the difficult issues from two‐dimensional problems as well as developing new formulations to handle added geometric complexity. This paper presents a new finite element formulation for handling three‐dimensional free surface problems with a boundary‐fitted mesh and full Newton iteration, which solves for velocity, pressure, and mesh variables simultaneously. A boundary‐fitted, pseudo‐solid approach is used for moving the mesh, which treats the interior of the mesh as a fictitious elastic solid that deforms in response to boundary motion. To minimize mesh distortion near free boundary under large deformations, the mesh motion equations are rotated into normal and tangential components prior to applying boundary conditions. The Navier–Stokes equations are discretized using a Galerkin–least square/pressure stabilization formulation, which provides good convergence properties with iterative solvers. The result is a method that can track large deformations and rotations of free surface boundaries in three dimensions. The method is applied to two sample problems: solid body rotation of a fluid and extrusion from a nozzle with a rectangular cross‐section. The extrusion example exhibits a variety of free surface shapes that arise from changing processing conditions. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An analytical approach for the design optimization of bearing land in the metal extrusion of shaped sections

Bearing region plays an important role in controlling material flow and its optimal design could lead to high quality extruded products. On the other hand, too much of bearing causes the process load to increase. Thus, there must be an optimum point where the bearing lands and the extrusion pressure are just the right values. Determining the proper bearing length is often performed using trial and error methods in the extrusion industry and numerical analysis. The aim of this study is to optimize the bearing length in forward extrusion dies using upper bound method for non-axisymmetric sections. A generalized kinematically admissible velocity field is employed to obtain uniform velocity at the exit surface of the die. Dead metal zone and bearing region define the geometry of the deformation zone. The multi-objective optimization using response surface methodology was applied to optimize the relative extrusion pressure and the deviation of the mean value for the velocity at die exit. Using this method, the proper bearing length is determined. Optimization of bearing land is performed for extrusion of rectangular and L-shaped profiles. The proposed analytical method was verified by physical modelling experiments and numerical simulations. A unique answer for the bearing design could be obtained using the suggested method in a few seconds opposing to numerical method which required many timely and costly trials. This method would be useful for die designers to get the appropriate bearing land and at the same time not to increase the process load excessively.

     

A low‐dimensional spectral approach for transient axisymmetric free‐surface flow inside thin cavities of arbitrary shape

A low‐dimensional spectral method is used to solve the transient axisymmetric free surface flow inside thin cavities of arbitrary shape. The flow field is obtained on the basis of the lubrication equations, which are expanded in terms of orthonormal functions over the cavity gap. The formulation accounts for nonlinearities stemming from inertia and front location. The work is of close relevance to the filling stage during die casting, and injection molding, or the flow inside annular (extrusion) dies. Both flows under an imposed flow rate, and an imposed pressure at the cavity entrance are examined. The influence of inertia, aspect ratio, gravity, and wall geometry on the evolution of the front, flow rate, and pressure is assessed particularly in the early stage of flow, when a temporal behavior of the ‘boundary‐layer’ type develops. The multiple‐scale method is applied to obtain an approximate solution at small Reynolds number, Re. Comparison with the exact (numerical) solution indicates a wide range of validity for the multiple‐scale approach, including the moderately small Re range. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow of solids during forming and extrusion: Some aspects of numerical solutions

In the extrusion and forming of solids the plastic (or viscoplastic) deformations are so large that the elastic strain is negligible. The problem thus becomes one of incompressible viscous, non-Newtonian flow with prescribed boundary velocities. Various formulations of such problems (analogous to those of incompressible solid mechanics) are possible, and the paper investigates two basic processes.Details of application to some examples of steady state flow in extrusion, drawing and rolling are given and transient free surface solutions are demonstrated for stretch forming and deep drawing. The formulation is shown to be capable of dealing with boundary friction and strain hardening. The coupling with thermal effects is demonstrated in the last section of the paper, and in addition, some practical problems of elastic spring-back which occur on the removal of load are discussed.     

Multi-scale phenomena induced by fluoropolymer processing aids during the extrusion of linear-low density polyethylene

Using polymer processing aids (PPA) based on fluoropolymers not only reduces die pressure, but also postpones extrusion defects for linear polyolefins. The purpose of this work is to investigate the mechanisms explaining PPA efficiency. An experimental set-up was developed to study the PPA actions at different scales, based on a slit die with transparent walls and removable steel inserts, in line with a laboratory extruder. Original results are presented, correlating the evolution of die pressure, surface defects, velocity profiles measured by Laser Doppler Velocimetry and PPA die coating analyzed by Scanning Electronic Microscopy. During extrusion, PPA droplets and stretched aggregates appear first randomly on the whole die surface. Then, coating morphology progressively changes, leading to a network of interconnected and heterogeneous PPA streaks. Quantification of surface deposition shows that the PPA concentration grows towards the die exit, in concordance with spatially evolutionary wall slip. Surface defects elimination is correlated to the presence of discontinuous deposits at the die exit.