07/15/2021
By Sokny Long

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, invites you to attend a thesis defense by Morgan Collings on "Deformation Mechanisms in Conical Die Drawing of Multi-Component Wire.”

MSE Candidate: Morgan Collings
Defense Date: Thursday July 29, 2021
Time: 1 to 3 p.m. EST
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact morgan_collings@student.uml.edu and committee advisor, alireza_amirkhizi@uml.edu, at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Committee Chair (Advisor): Alireza Amirkhizi, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UMass Lowell

Committee Members:
James Sherwood, Dean, College of Engineering, UMass Lowell
Christopher Hansen , Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UMass Lowell

Brief Abstract:
Conical die wire drawing utilizes a hauling mechanism to pull wire through a semi-conical die reduction. The area reduction allows for estimation of the length of the wire through constant volume calculations; however, there is an observed discrepancy between the predicted and measured lengths of the wire. It is understood that stress and strain heterogeneity on the surface and in the bulk of the wire due to the drawing process may cause the nucleation and growth of voids within the wire; however, it is speculated that there may be other effects that contribute to this observed discrepancy. In this study, a small number of wires were drawn to explore the process in a more controlled fashion. Computational modeling identified dimensional inaccuracies in the wires, as well as the heterogeneity of the plastic deformation in the wire. Experimental evaluation of the samples corroborates these observations and shows that dimensional inaccuracy and heterogeneous yielding may explain the observed length discrepancies. Further study is recommended with larger specimens and sample sizes to verify these results. It is expected that the understanding gained in the present and future studies could lead to suggestions for improving the manufacturing process in order to (a) limit damage and variability and (b) provide better statistics on the morphology and performance of final products.

All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend the online defense via remote access.