Prediction of hardness distribution in cold backward extruded cups

Abstract The hardness distribution in cold forgings can be predicted if the relationship between the hardness and effective strain of the billet material and the effective strain distribution of the workpiece are known. This paper summarizes the results of a study conducted on this subject. A hardness vs. effective strain curve for an annealed AISI 1010 steel was obtained using the compression test with grooved dies in conjunction with FE simulations, and this curve was then used to predict the hardness distribution in the extruded cups. The predicted hardness values showed reasonable agreement with the measured hardness values.