Multi-Hole Extrusion of Aluminum Capillary Tubes at Small Diameters
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of aluminum capillary tubes faces challenges in maintaining corrosion resistance and design specifications while avoiding low extrusion speeds and increased production costs due to small diameters and work hardening issues during the extrusion process.
Innovation Solution
An extrusion apparatus with a multi-hole structure is used, where an aluminum billet is heated and pressed through a housing mold with multiple dies to produce capillary tubes with specific cross-sectional shapes, optimizing the extrusion ratio and reducing the need for additional processing steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the extrusion ratio is increased to maintain design diameter specifications, then the extrusion speed decreases, but the productivity is improved
Solution Approach 1:
The housing mold is divided into multiple dies, each with multiple holes, allowing simultaneous extrusion of multiple capillary tubes. This segmentation enables the system to maintain high extrusion ratios for precision while compensating for low speed through parallel production, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and productivity
2Manufacturing precision
If multi-step drawing process is used to reduce diameter, then the strength increases and elongation rate decreases, but the corrosion resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The process changes from cold working (drawing) to hot working (extrusion). By performing extrusion at high temperature, the material undergoes different metallurgical changes that avoid work hardening and internal stress accumulation, thereby maintaining corrosion resistance while achieving the required diameter reduction through the die geometry
3Reliability
If additional processes are added to maintain material properties, then the corrosion resistance is maintained, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into a single extrusion process: diameter reduction, shape formation, and material property preservation are all achieved simultaneously through hot extrusion through the multi-hole die, eliminating the need for separate drawing and annealing processes, thereby reducing production cost while maintaining corrosion resistance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances productivity, maintains corrosion resistance, and simplifies the manufacturing process, allowing for cost-effective production of aluminum capillary tubes that meet design specifications, comparable to copper capillary tubes.
Implementation Method 1
heating the aluminum billet
Implementation Method 2
pressing the aluminum billet in a direction from another side to the one side of the container so that the aluminum billet is extruded
Data Source
AI summary
An extrusion apparatus and a method for manufacturing an aluminum capillary tube using the same are provided. The extrusion apparatus includes a container, a housing mold provided on one side of the container and including a plurality of dies formed with a plurality of holes, and a ram pressing an aluminum billet accommodated in the container in a direction from another side to the one side of the container so that the aluminum billet accommodated in the container is extruded into a plurality of aluminum capillary tubes having cross-sectional shapes corresponding to the plurality of holes, and the number of the plurality of holes is determined based on an inner diameter of the container and a diameter of each of the plurality of holes.