Abstract
A split-die design for the cold forging of symmetric parts such as those having a hexagonal cross-section is presented in this paper. Parts with a hexagonal cross-section, such as bolt heads and nuts, should be forged with a die that has a hexagonal-shaped hole. A split type die is required to mitigate the buildup of stress concentrations located at the corners of the hexagonal hole. Generally, the insert of a hexagonal die is made by cutting each corner of a cylinder using a hexagonal hole and then combined with the die and shrink-fitted. However, split dies face problems when extruding material at the corners of the hexagonal split die. To address this problem, two types of split dies were evaluated: rounded hexagonal dies and angular hexagonal dies. The effects of the pre-stress ring on the dies were compared and analyzed and results show that using the angular split hexagonal die can extend the lifetime of forging dies.
