In this paper, effects of major design parameters of cold forging dies on die mechanics are quantitatively investigated with emphasis on shrink fit using a thermoelastic finite element method. A ball-stud cold forging process found in a cold forging company is selected as a test process and the effects of die insert material, magnitude of shrink fit, dimension of shrink ring, number of shrink rings, partition of die insert and clamping force on effective stress and circumferential stress are analyzed. It has shown that the number of shrink rings, magnitude of shrink fit, and Young’s modulus of die insert material have strong influence on compressive circumferential stress in die insert but that the influence of the other design parameters is relatively weak.
