Analysis and Optimization on Factors Affecting Forming Quality of Half Axle Gears Warm Precision Forging

Half axle gears is produced by precision forging popularly because of the advantages in minimum machining allowances, lower material consumption and good service properties. But the forming quality of precision forging is difficult to control. Many simulations and analysis of precision forging process were taken by previous researchers. But no concrete method is proposed to evaluate and optimize the forming quality of half axel gears. The primary purpose of this work is improving the forming quality of half axel gears by analyzing and optimizing the affected factors of forming quality. The enclosed-die warm forging process of half axle gears was developed, and a new type of die-set used on double action hydraulic press was brought forward. The main influential factors of precision forming quality were analyzed after the forming process had been simulated by using finite element method（FEM）. These factors include die structure, web thickness and web position. A method used to evaluate the forming quality was established, which investigated the maximal forming load, the metal filling rate and the material damage factor. The FEM simulations of half axle gears precision forging were evaluated by this method. The results show that the best forming quality can be achieved when the punches were added with bosses, the web located at the middle plant of the gear, and the web thickness was 30 percent of the inner hole diameter. Verification experiments taking the above optimized parameters were performed on a 7.8 MN double action hydraulic press. The trial products were formed well. And their geometric precision meets the demand. The verification result shows that the optimization of the influential factors, according to the simulations and the evaluation method, can improve the forming quality. The new structure of precision forging die-set and the new evaluation method guarantee a high forming quality ofhalfaxel gears.

Effects of Process Parameters on the Temperature Field in Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Blade Precision Forging Process

Blade precision forging is a high temperature and large plastic deformation process. Process parameters have a great effect on temperature distribution in billet, so in this paper, by taking a Ti-6Al-4V alloy blade with a tenon as an object, the influence of process parameters on the temperature distribution in precision forging process was investigated using 3D coupled thermo-mechanical FEM （finite element method） code developed by the authors. The results obtained illustrate that： （1） the gradient of temperature distribution increases with increasing the deformation degree; （2） with increasing the initial temperature of the billet, the zones of high temperature become larger, and the gradient of temperature distribution hardly has any increase; （3） friction factors have little effect on the distribution of temperature field; （4） with increasing upper die velocity, temperature of the billet increases while the temperature gradient in billet decreases. The results are helpful to the design and optimization of the process parameters in precision forging process of Ti-alloy blade.

Volume calculation of the spur gear billet for cold precision forging with average circle method

Forging spur gears are widely used in the driving system of mining machinery and equipment due to their higher strength and dimensional accuracy.For the purpose of precisely calculating the volume of cylindrical spur gear billet in cold precision forging,a new theoretical method named average circle method was put forward.With this method,a series of gear billet volumes were calculated.Comparing with the accurate three-dimensional modeling method,the accuracy of average circle method by theoretical calculation was estimated and the maximum relative error of average circle method was less than 1.5%,which was in good agreement with the experimental results.Relative errors of the calculated and the experimental for obtaining the gear billet volumes with reference circle method are larger than those of the average circle method.It shows that average circle method possesses a higher calculation accuracy than reference circle method(traditional method),which should be worth popularizing widely in calculation of spur gear billet volume.

Prediction of Grain Size for Blade Precision Forging Process under Thermo-Mechanical Coupling

Blade precision forging is a high temperature and large plastic deformation process. Interaction of deformation andheat conduction results in producing large temperature unevenness inside the billet. The unevenness has a greateffect on the mechanical property and microstructure of the forged blade. However, internal quality of the blade isdecided by its microstructure, it is necessary to conduct a research on the microstructure of the blade forging process.Taking a blade with a tenon as an object, its precision forging process is simulated and analyzed using a 3D coupledthermo-mechanical FEM code. And based on the prediction model of Ti-6Al-4V presented by the predecessor, astudy of the evolution of grain size in the forging process is made. The distribution characteristics of grain size intypical sections are obtained under various deformation degrees. This study may provide a base for designing theblade forging process and working out its parameters.

Die design for cold precision forging of bevel gear based on finite element method

The finite element analysis (FEA) software Ansys was employed to study the stress state of the dies of both plane and non-plane parting face structures with uniform interference and the die of plane parting face structure with non-uniform interference. Considering the symmetry of the die, a half gear tooth model of the two-ring assembled die with 2.5 GPa inner pressure was constructed. Four paths were defined to investigate the stress state at the bottom corner of the die where stress concentration was serious. FEA results show that the change of parting face from non-plane to plane can greatly reduce the stress at the teeth tips of the die so that the tip fracture is avoided. The interference structure of the die is the most important influencing factor for the stress concentration at the bottom corner. When non-uniform interference is adopted the first principal stress at the corner on the defined paths of the die is much lower than that with uniform interference. The bottom hole radius is another important influencing factor for the corner stress concentration. The first principal stress at the corner of the plane parting face die with non-uniform interference is reduced from 2.3 to 1.9 GPa when the hole radius increases from 12.5 to 16.0 mm. The optimization of the die structure increases the life of the die from 100 to 6 000 hits.

Finite element analysis and simulation for cold precision forging of a helical gear

To investigate the effects of billet geometry on the cold precision forging process of a helical gear,six different billet geometries were designed utilizing the relief-hole principle.And the influences of the billet geometry on the forming load and the deformation uniformity were analyzed by three-dimensional(3D)finite element method(FEM)under the commercial software DEFORM 3D.The billet geometry was optimized to meet lower forming load and better deformation uniformity requirement.Deformation mechanism was studied through the distribution of flow velocity field and effective strain field.The forging experiments of the helical gear were successfully performed using lead material as a model material under the same process conditions used in the FE simulations.The results show that the forming load decreases as the diameter of relief-hole d0 increases,but the effect of d0 on the deformation uniformity is very complicated.The forming load is lower and the deformation is more uniform when d0 is 10mm.

Design of relief-cavity in closed-precision forging of gears

To reduce the difficulty of material filling into the top region of tooth in hot precision forging of gears using the alternative die designs, relief-cavity designs in different sizes were performed on the top of die tooth. The influences of the conventional process and relief-cavity designs on corner filling, workpiece stress, die stress, forming load and material utilization were examined. Finite element simulation for tooth forming, die stress and forming load using the four designs was performed. The material utilization was further considered, and the optimal design was determined. The tooth form and forming load in forging trials ensured the validity of FE simulation. Tooth accuracy was inspected by video measuring machine(VMM), which shows the hot forged accuracy achieves the level of rough machining of gear teeth. The effects of friction on mode of metal flow and strain distribution were also discussed.

Research on the Casting-forging Precision Forming Process of Alternator Poles

The casting-forging combined technique and the closed die forging without flash-less are both new developed material working methods. The former can not only decrease forming operations of forgings, but also increase the material utilization ratio. Therefore, it is applied to produce more complex forgings. The latter is required for forging precise parts without burrs. The alternator pole is a complex forging, which was usually produced by hot forging, upsetting-extrusion or upsetting-extrusion and bending processes. During these processes, not only the forming force is higher, but the material of burrs accounts for 30 percent or so of total required material. And burrs are difficult to remove in the sequential machining process. In accordance with defects exiting in current manufacturing of alternator poles by upsetting-extruding process, such as more material demand, higher forming force and difficulty of next machining, a casting-forging precision process of alternator poles was developed and investigated in this paper. In the process, the pole was formed by two operations. One is the pre-forming operation by casting. The other is the final forming operation by the closed precision forging process. This can not only shorten processes, decrease material and power demand, but also increase precision of forgings. First, the casting blocker was designed considering the casting process and the forging ratio and the mode of deformation. Then the die structure for closed precision forging was designed, and the closing device for forging dies with spring assemblies in order to provide the necessary closing force was also designed. Finally the forming processes was investigated by test and numerical simulation method to optimum process parameters and die structure design parameters. The result can provide basis for applying the process to manufacture poles in practice.

Numerical and experimental study on new cold precision forging technique of spur gears

A new cold precision forging technique is proposed to form a spur gear from a hollow billet, that is blocking the divided flow region and then final forging by the relief hole. 3D FEM simulation of the whole process of a pure aluminium spur gear is performed using DEFORM 3D TM . The load stroke curve, effective stress distribution, effective strain distribution, velocity distribution, and so on, are achieved. These results are compared with those achieved using the conventional closed die forging in the same conditions. The results show that this new technique has many advantages over the conventional one. The deformation load is reduced by near 30% and the filling ability of the tooth profile is also improved. Precision forging experiments of spur gears with the new process were performed using material Pb. The experimental results show a good agreement with the numerical results.

Backward tracing simulation of precision forging process for blade based on 3D FEM

In order to obtain the desired final shape, the blade precision forging requires a reasonable preformed billet which can be obtained from a given final shape by using backward tracing scheme based on FEM. The key technologies of backward tracing scheme based on 3D rigid-viscoplastic FEM were explored, and some valid algorithms or methods were proposed. A velocity field was generated by combining the direct iterative method with Newton-Raphson iterative method, and then the initial velocity field of backward tracing simulation was achieved by reversing the direction of the velocity field. A new method, namely the tracking-fitting-revising method, was proposed and can be used to determinate the criterion of separating a node from die in the backward tracing simulation. The ceasing criterion of the backward tracing simulation is that all the boundary nodes are detached from dies. Based on the above key technologies, the 3D backward tracing simulation system for the blade precision forging was developed, and its feasibility and reliability were verified by forward loading simulation.

Precision forging technologies for magnesium alloy bracket and wheel

Fundamental investigations on precision forging technology of magnesium alloys were studied.As-cast billet prestraining and a new concept of hollow billet were proposed in order to reduce the maximum forming load.A schcme of isothermal forming and the use of combined female dies were adopted,which can improve the die filling capacity and ensure the manufacture of high quality forgings.By means of the developed technique,AZ80 alloy wheel and AZ31 alloy bracket were produced successfully at suitable process parameters and applied in the automotive industries.The results show that the hot compression of AZ80 magnesium alloy has the peak flow stresses of pre-strained alloy with finer grain,which are lower by 20%than those of as-cast alloy under the same deformation conditions.The forming load is related to contact area and average positive stress on interface during forging process.

3D FEM Simulation of Precision Forging Automobile Clutch Damping Spindle Sleeve

The precision forging process is simulated by commercial software Deform 3D using a rigid visco-plastic model to predict the status of metal flow and the distribution of equivalent plastic strain, providing guidance for making decision on the optimal choice of process parameters and mould structure. Trial forging was used to verify the effectiveness of FEM simulation results.

ISOTHERMAL PRECISION FORGING PROCESS OF ALUMINUM ALLOY CYLINDRICAL HOUSING

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RESEARCH ON INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON A PRECISION FORGING PROCESS OF BLADE WITH A TENON

The blade precision forging process is a forming process with high temperature and large plastic deformation. Interaction of deformation and heat conduction leads to large uneven distribution of temperature. The unevenness of temperature distribution has a great effect on mechanical properties and the microstracture of materials. So it is necessary to consider the influence of temperature on the precision forging process of blades. Taking a blade with a tenon into consideration, a 3D mechanical model in precision forging is built up. The distribution laws of temperature field and the influence of the temperature on the equivalem stress in the process are obtained by using 3-D coupled thermo-mechanical FEM code developed by the authors Theresuits obtained illustrate that the influence of the temperature field on the blade forging process is considerable. The achievements of predicting microstructure and mechanical properties for forged blades is significant.

齿环热精锻成形工艺参数优化及组合模具设计

针对某齿环热精锻成形材料利用率低、模具寿命短的问题,构建了齿环热精锻成形有限元模型,分析了齿环热精锻成形过程中金属塑性流动规律及各物理量的变化情况。其次,以避免齿环成形缺陷、提高材料利用率和降低最大成形载荷为目标,采用响应面法和灰狼优化算法优化了齿环的坯料尺寸、始锻温度和成形速度,并通过数值模拟仿真和工艺实验进行了验证。最后,设计了齿环热精锻成形组合凹模结构,通过数值模拟优化了组合凹模的过盈量,模具危险区域的最大主应力值降至945 MPa,改善了模具应力集中现象,有效避免了模具的早期失效。

144型高性能转向节预锻件优化设计与精锻工艺研究

144型转向节是中重型高端商用车转向部件中的核心零件,其对延伸率和断面收缩率均有严格要求,根据传统锻造工艺理论设计的预锻方案不能满足断面收缩率要求,研究其预锻件的优化设计与精锻终成形工艺对于获得合格锻件具有重要意义。首先采用经典塑性成形理论分析了基于传统方法设计的预锻件存在的问题,然后基于损伤理论提出了其预锻件结构的优化设计方法,同时提出了基于平面薄飞边的精锻终成形工艺。应用结果表明,生产的144型转向节精密锻件阶梯杆部的关键技术指标延伸率A≥12.5%,断面收缩率Z≥50%,超过了国外客户所提技术指标的要求。

基于数值模拟的变速箱轴套精锻工艺评估及试验研究

目的针对汽车变速箱轴套在精锻工艺设计阶段成形方案选择多、成形结果不确定的现象,解决试验成本高,开发周期长的问题。方法采用有限元模拟和工艺评价数学模型进行协同研究。首先,针对各工艺方案建立有限元分析模型,分别进行成形模拟,根据成形后零件的填充情况和截面流线状况来评估工艺的合理性;其次,利用工艺评价数学模型将各方案模拟获得的最大应力、最大应变、最大损伤值、最大载荷等重要参数进行整合,以零件质量和模具寿命作为综合评估对象,根据评价值确定最优方案,同时对各方案下的载荷情况进行分析;最后,按照最优方案完成制模和试模生产。结果获得的变速箱轴套成形饱满,质量好,表面无明显缺陷,与模拟结果一致,验证了开发过程的准确性,且尺寸符合要求,内部探伤无裂纹。结论提出的开发工艺可靠,与切削工艺相比,生产效率大幅提升,同时材料利用率提高到92.7%。

基于CAD/CAM技术的非标部件精锻模具设计与制作技术

该非标部件主要应用于矿山机械设备上,实际用量大、结构复杂、物理性能要求高。该部件长期处在重载的工作环境中,极易发生磨损、疲劳断裂,采用传统机械加工方式生产效率低,很难解决整成型及部件内部残留应力集中问题。因此,综合考虑该部件结构特点、材料性能及工作环境,采用无余量精密锻造成型工艺进行批量生产,使用UG软件,结合实际生产条件,完成该非标部件精锻模具建模、加工工艺设计、刀具路线规划、数控加工程序编制,并制作出合格的精锻模具。生产实践证明该模具制作的零部件精度高、物理性能良好,能满足使用要求,生产效率高,适合大批量生产。

线缆生产设备专用铝合金导轮研制及应用

针对3种不同工艺制备的Φ290×28卧式收线机导轮的材料成分、力学性能和组织性能的测试、生产周期、生产成本及导轮的应用情况等分析,发现定制的6061铝合金材料主要化学成分为1.12%Mg、0.71%Si、0.11%Cu、1.25%Zn及96.34%Al,1.25%Zn使铝合金冲压成形性能有较大改善。精密锻造工艺制备的导轮硬度为124HV,抗拉强度为325MPa,延伸率为14.25%,应变达到14.8%时材料才发生断裂,组织结构均匀致密,无疏松多孔缺陷。与利用铝棒进行机械切削加工和铸造成型切削制备导轮的两种工艺相比,导轮的硬度、抗拉强度、韧性、组织性能大幅度提升,导轮机械综合力学性能好,外观美观光洁度好,动平衡性好,整体质量好,而且生产成本下降50%以上,使用寿命长。可见,利用模具精密锻造铝轮胚体快速成型,经T6热处理和表面强化制备导轮工艺为最佳导轮生产工艺。