Numerical and Experimental Studies on the Improvement of Gas Chamber Structure during Gas-Assisted Extrusion

Abstract

In the gas-assisted extrusion process, the melt inside the die is in a low-viscosity molten state, so the flow field of the gas cushion layer has a great effect on the cross-sectional shape of the micro-tube. Therefore, this study establishes the gas distribution chamber model of the gas-assisted die. Ansys Fluent software was used to simulate the gas flow field of the gas distribution chamber. The effect of the gas chamber structure on the size of the micro-tube was analyzed by the extrusion experiment. The research shows that the velocity unevenness coefficient of the gas outlet of the single gas chamber die is 11.8%, which is higher than that of the double gas chamber die. The use of a double gas chamber die can improve the stability of the gas cushion layer and the wall thickness non-uniformity of the micro-tube, which verifies the simulation results.