A Study on the Influence of Different Lubricants on the Unit Pressure and Surface Quality in Extrusion
1 Introduction
Extrusion is one of the most important and commonly used forming processes in the industrial sector, and the quality of the final product depends on the raw material, process, and lubricants used. To obtain a desired product quality and operating efficiency, lubrication plays an important role in the extrusion process. Lubricants are used in extrusion processes to reduce friction, protect the material from abrasive damage, and improve the quality of key surface features. This study aims to examine the influence of different lubricants on the unit pressure and surface quality in extrusion.
2 Process
Figure 1 shows a schematic of an extrusion process. In the extrusion process, a heated billet is placed in an extrusion die and a ram compresses the billet. The extrusion force is created by the ram, and it increases with increasing ram speed until it reaches a maximum. The lubricant helps reduce the frictional forces between the billet and the die, making it easier to extrude the billet. The choice of lubricant is therefore important as it can affect the extrusion force and surface quality of the product.
3 Types of Lubricants
The lubricants used in extrusion are divided into two main categories: synthetic lubricants and mineral oils. Synthetic lubricants are made from polymers and synthetic fluids, and offer superior lubrication and surface protection properties, but are expensive. Mineral oils are more cost effective and are commonly used in the extrusion industry.
4 Test Method
To study the effect of different lubricants on extrusion, Specimens were created by extruding a billet of aluminum into four dies with different lubricants. The lubricants used were mineral oil, synthetic lubricant A, synthetic lubricant B and synthetic lubricant C. The extrusion force and the surface quality of the specimens were measured.
For the extrusion force measurement, a load cell was placed between the ram and the die and the force applied by the ram was recorded. The force was measured as the ram moved at a constant speed for a set amount of time.
For the surface quality measurement, a profilometer was used to measure the roughness of the specimens surface. The roughness was measured along the length of the extruded specimen and the results were compared to determine the effect of the lubricant on surface quality.
5 Results
Figure 2 shows the results of the extrusion force test. The results show that the mineral oil had the lowest extrusion force, followed by the synthetic lubricant A, then the synthetic lubricant B, and finally synthetic lubricant C. This indicates that mineral oil is the most effective at reducing the extrusion force.
Figure 3 shows the results of the surface quality test. The results show that synthetic lubricant A had the lowest surface roughness, followed by synthetic lubricant B, then synthetic lubricant C, and finally mineral oil. This indicates that synthetic lubricant A is the most effective at reducing surface roughness.
6 Discussion
The results of this study indicate that the type of lubricant used in an extrusion process can have a significant effect on both the extrusion force and surface quality of the product. The mineral oil had the lowest extrusion force, indicating that it is the most effective at reducing the extrusion force. However, it had the highest surface roughness, indicating that it is the least effective at reducing surface roughness.
The synthetic lubricants had better surface protection properties than the mineral oil, with synthetic lubricant A having the lowest surface roughness. This indicates that synthetic lubricants are more effective than mineral oils at reducing surface roughness.
7 Conclusion
The lubricant used in the extrusion process can have a significant effect on both the extrusion force and surface quality of the product. The results of this study indicate that mineral oil is the most effective at reducing the extrusion force, while synthetic lubricant A is the most effective at reducing surface roughness. These findings suggest that the choice of lubricant should be carefully considered when designing an extrusion process.
