Purpose-Built To Push The Envelope
Since the invention of friction extrusion (FE), it has been of minor interest for materials research, since there has been no equipment to explore its commercial exploitation.
Those days are over now.
Conventional extrusion of metals has been around for a long time. Typically, a metal billet is heated and pressed through a die with some shape, producing stock for a multitude of applications.
Extruded materials are often stretched to straighten the material and to increase the yield strength and then aged to improve ultimate strength.
Bond Technologies is the only supplier of FE Products.
Contact us to explore the possibilities with a trusted Bond.
How Does Friction Affect Extrusion in the FE Process? A Twist on Conventional Extrusion
Friction extrusion modifies this process by adding severe plastic deformation of the billet as it is extruded through an opening.
This additional step produces the unique advantages of FE over conventional extrusion:
- The plastic deformation refines the grain structure of the extruded material.
- Friction and plastic deformation generate all of the heat needed for the process.
- The extreme pressure and deformation consolidate the feed stock, making it possible to make fully dense stock from mixed powders and chips.
- The refined microstructure has high ductility, not possible with other severe plastic deformation methods.
How Friction Extrusion Works
FE is similar to friction stir welding (FSW) in the way that heat and deformation are produced. FE relies on friction and plastic work produced by relative motion between a non-consumable die and a workpiece. As a result, it is undesirable to liquefy the workpiece, since the source of heating depends on resistance to relative motion. The solid-state nature of the process produces all of its desirable characteristics.
In the friction extrusion process, a rotating die with a grooved feature cut into its face is forced against a billet, which may consist of solid material, swarf, or powder. Relative motion produces friction and plastic work, heating and softening the feed stock. The features on the rotating die deform the material radially inward toward an opening through which the material is extruded. This principle may be produced by a number of tooling arrangements.
