Abstract: A coupled thermal-mechanical model of the rotary swaging of pure magnesium was developed using the general finite-element software program MSC/Marc to visualize the effect of axial feeding velocity on the rotary swaging process. The radial displacement occurring in one pulse impact increases in proportion to axial feeding velocity (v_ax). When the other processing parameters are fixed, the surface roughness of the swaged bar increases with v_ax and is in parabolic relation with v_ax. There exists a minimum velocity v_{ax, min} below which the decrease of v_ax will no longer improve the surface roughness. Under the technological conditions of this simulation, when the finial diameter d=6.6 mm, v_{ax, min}=1.82 m/min, and when d=7.0 mm, v_{ax, min}=1.83 m/min. If R_a=3.2 is required for the end product, then v_{ax, max}=6.02 m/min is gotten for d=6.6 mm and v_{ax, max}=7.05 m/min for d=7.0mm. The increase of v_ax has no notable influence on strain distribution along radial direction. The errors between the experimental and simulated height of the spiral spine-like ridges are below 8.0%.

Key words: rotary swaging; magnesium; strain filed; processing parameters