A Review of FEM Codes Accuracy for Reliable Extrusion Process Analysis: ICEB Extrusion Benchmark Conference

The paper presents an overview on the 2015 and 2017 editions of the ICEB benchmark conferences, with a focus on experimental trials results and on the comparison of the accuracy of the different finite element method (FEM) codes in predicting critical process outputs. Indeed, benchmark experiments are designed with the aim to focus the attention on a particular phenomenon and to check the ability of FEM codes for its prediction. Profile lengths, process load, die deflections, die and profile temperatures were accurately recorded during the extrusion trials (conducted in laboratory or industrial environment) and were used as benchmarking parameters for FEM comparison. On the profiles, locations of seam and charge welds and grain size distribution were metallurgically analyzed and required as benchmarking parameters as well. Moreover, computational times, simulation set-up times, as well as information on the required hardware were compared for the proposed case studies. A detailed discussion of all the output parameters is realized, in order to illustrate the evolution of the potentialities, and limits, of each code in the recent years