KEYWORDS Radial forging process without Mandrel; Die pro le design and optimization; Finite element method; Slab method. Abstract. Radial forging without a mandrel o ers a cost e ective method for production of tubular components. However, nonuniform deformation, thickness variation, poor surface quality and undesirable residual stress distribution are problems that need to be overcome in order to achieve an optimal process. In this paper, radial forging dies with curved-shape pro les are

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... ed to alleviate some of the mentioned di culties. Finite element simulations are used to prove the advantage of the proposed dies over conventional linear dies. A novel analytical approach, based on the slab method of analysis, is developed to verify the nite element modeling. The obtained results provide useful guidelines for design and optimization of the radial forging process without a mandrel.