Experimental and numerical analysis of the wear mechanism in spring coil forming die and the effects of die geometry on wear

Abstract

The present work aimed at understanding the wear mechanism of spring coil forming die and the effects of die geometry on wear. The wear morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer. The main wear mechanism was found to be adhesive wear, and a variant of the Archard wear model was established. The wear distribution in spring coil forming die was numerically analyzed in DEFORM software, and the effects of die geometry parameters on wear were discussed. Numerical results revealed that the wear distribution in the die was uneven and the wear mainly occurred at the sides of the die cavity. The wear depth was greatly affected by the width and angle of the die cavity, whereas the length of the die cavity had little effect. A small cavity width or angle led to severe wear, while a large cavity width reduced the forming quality of the spring coil. Moreover, a simple and effective life prediction method was proposed based on wear results. The findings of this research will be helpful for the effective design of spring coil forming die and the prediction of wear.