Thermal Expansion of Different Steel Tool and Aluminum Sheet Materials Used in Hot Forming Processes

摘要

Cast iron and steel tools are used for hot forming of aluminum at temperatures as high as 500 deg C. Because these tool materials thermally expand and contract at different rates than aluminum, reliable thermal expansion data is required to design tools to produce dimensionally accurate parts. Thermal expansion measurements on several tool materials and aluminum alloys were used to calculate the Thermal Expansion Tool Design Factor (TETDF) for each tooling material.