AbstractAn investigation of the behavior of metals during asixymmetric extrusion using the finite element method is presented. Flow characteristics as functions of die shape. die-workpiece interface friction. die reduction ratio, and billet position within the die are determined under the assumption of fully plastic flow. An eight node isoparametric quadrilateral. finite element was used with the velocity and pressure fields approximated within the element by quadratic and linear interpolation polynomials respectively. The constitutive equations relating strainrate components to deviatoric stress components were of a form representative of a non-Newtonian fluid with stress-strain rate properties for SAE 1045 steel and 2017 aluminum alloy used in the study. Conical, cosine, hyperbolic and elliptic die shapes were included in the study. Friction at the die-workpiece interface was simulated by specifying a shear force tangent to the interface. The evolution of the extrusion process from the time the billet first enters the die until the extruded member exits the die WaS performed by solving a sp.quence of problems in time. Results of the various analyses include velocity and pressure fields together with the strainrate and stress distributions within the material.