Optimization of Isothermal Pressing of Ingots of Aluminum Alloys with the Preliminary Gradient Heating

Abstract—Pressing of preliminarily heated billets of aluminum alloys on hydraulic presses of the “heating–pressure treatment” industrial complex is investigated. The heating stage is implemented in a multisectional inductor providing the specified temperature drop over the billet length. To form the most favorable conditions of isothermal pressing, a special problem of the parametric optimization of pressing to the accuracy maximum of approaching the temperature in a matrix die to its maximally admissible value according to production requirements is formulated and solved. The temperature state of a billet after its loading into the press container is considered as a controlling effect at the pressing stage. To solve the problem, a special alternance method for the optimization of systems with the distributed parameters is used. This method is implemented based on the developed mathematical models of billet temperature fields at heating and pressing stages.