Numerical and experimental analysis of a cross wedge rolling process for producing ball studs

The paper reports the results of theoretical and experimental tests of a forming process for producing ball studs which are widely used in the automotive industry. It is proposed that semi-finished ball studs are produced by cross wedge rolling in a double configuration. The theoretical analysis was performed by numerical techniques based on the finite element method. Numerical computations were made using the simulation software DEFORM v 11.0. During the simulations, the accuracy of the adopted tool design was verified, and optimal parameters of the process along with the effect of selected parameters of the process and the quality of produced parts were determined. The proposed rolling process was verified under laboratory conditions using a flat-wedge forging machine available at the Lublin University of Technology. The experimental findings show a high agreement with the numerical results, in terms of both quality and quantity. The results confirm that ball studs can be produced by the proposed cross wedge rolling technique.