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.

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.

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.

Determination of wax pattern die profile for investment casting of turbine blades

In order to conform to dimensional tolerances, an efficient numerical method, displacement iterative compensation method, based on finite element methodology （FEM） was presented for the wax pattern die profile design of turbine blades. Casting shrinkages at different positions of the blade which was considered nonlinear thermo-mechanical casting deformations were calculated. Based on the displacement iterative compensation method proposed, the optimized wax pattern die profile can be established. For a A356 alloy blade, substantial reduction in dimensional and shape tolerances was achieved with the developed die shape optimization system. Numerical simulation result obtained by the proposed method shows a good agreement with the result measured experimentally. After four times iterations, compared with the CAD model of turbine blade, the total form error decreases to 0.001 978 mm from the orevious 0.515 815 mm.

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.

STRESS FIELD ANALYSIS OF EXTRA-HEIGHT FORGING DIE USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

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Preparation of Ni60-WC Coating by Plasma Spraying, Plasma Re-melting and Plasma Spray Welding on Surface of Hot Forging Die

In order to produce the hear-resistant inner layer of hot-forging die, the plasma spraying and plasma re-melting and plasma spray welding were adopted. Substrate material was W6Mo5Cr4V2, including 10%, 20%, 30% tungsten carbide （WC） ceramic powder used as coating material to obtain different Nickel-based WC alloys coating. Micro-structure and micro-hardness analysis of the coating layer are conducted, as well as thermophysical properties for the coating layer were measured. The experimental results show that the coating prepared with 70%Ni60, 30%WC powder has the best properties with plasma spray welding, in which the micro-hardness can achieve 900HV, meanwhile it can improve the thermal property of hot-forging die dramatically.

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 comer 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 comer. When non-uniform interference is adopted the first principal stress at the comer 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 comer stress concentration. The first principal stress at the comer 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.

STUDY ON DESIGN TECHNIQUES OF A LONG LIFE HOT FORGING DIE WITH MULTI-MATERIALS

A new design technique for the long life hot forging die has been proposed. By finite element analysis, the reason .for the failure of hot forging die was analyzed and it was concluded that thermal stress is the main reason for the failure of hot forging die. Based on this conclusion, the whole hot forging die was divided into the substrate part and the heat-resistant part according to the thermal stress distribution. Moreover, the heat-resistant part was further subdivided into more zones and the material of each zone was reasonably selected to ensure that the hot forging die can work in an elastic state. When compared with the existing techniques, this design can greatly increase the service life because the use of multi-materials can alleviate the thermal stress in hot forging die.

Tempering stability of Fe–Cr–Mo–W–V hot forging die steels

The tempering stability of three Fe–Cr–Mo–W–V hot forging die steels(DM, H21, and H13) was investigated through hardness measurements and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) observations. Both dilatometer tests and TEM observations revealed that DM steel has a higher tempering stability than H21 and H13 steels because of its substantial amount of M_2C(M represents metallic element) carbide precipitations. The activation energies of the M_2C carbide precipitation processes in DM, H21, and H13 steels are 236.4, 212.0, and 228.9 kJ/mol, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicated that vanadium atoms both increase the activation energy and affect the evolution of M_2C carbides, resulting in gradual dissolution rather than over-aging during tempering.

Achieving three-layered Al/Mg/Al sheet via combining porthole die co-extrusion and hot forging

Al/Mg/Al sheet with good bonding quality and mechanical properties was fabricated based on the proposed porthole die co-extrusion and forging(PCE-F)process.There were no voids,cracks or other defects on the Al/Mg interface.A continuous diffusion zone with two-sub-layer structure was formed across the Al/Mg interface,and its width increased with higher temperature or reduction ratio.The sub-layers formed at low and high temperature were identified to be solid solutions and intermetallic compounds(IMCs)including y-MgpAl^and^-Al3Mg.In Al layer,the welding zone mainly consisted of fine equiaxed grains with several coarse elongated grains,while the majority of matrix zone is coarse elongated grains.The rolling textures were dominated in both welding and matrix zones.In Mg layer,the welding zone exhibited complete DRXed grain structure,while several unDRXed coarse grains were observed in the matrix zone.With the increasing temperature,the grain size of Al and Mg layer firstly decreased and then increased.High reduction ratio strongly refined the grain structure of Al layer,while slightly affected the Mg layer.The Al/Mg/AI sheet experienced stress-drops twice during the tensile test.The first stress-drop was determined by the IMCs and microstructure of Mg layer,while the second stress-drop was closely related to the microstructure of Al layer.Al/Mg/Al sheet forged at the lowest temperature without the formation IMCs exhibited the highest stress for the first stress-drop,and that forged under the highest reduction ratio with the smallest grain size in Al layer had the highest stress for the second stress-drop.

Ni60-SiC Coating Prepared by Plasma Spraying, Plasma Re-melting and Plasma Spray Welding on Surface of Hot Forging Die

In order to produce the hear-resistant inner layer of hot-forging die, plasma spraying and plasma re-melting and plasma spray welding were adopted. Substrate material was W6Mo5Cr4V2, including 10%, 20%, 30% SiC ceramic powder used as coating material to obtain different Ni-based SiC alloys coating. Micro-structure and micro-hardness analysis of the coating layer were followed, as well as thermophysical properties for the coating layer were measured. The experimental results show that the coating prepared with 70% Ni60, 30% SiC powder has best properties with plasma spray welding, in which the micro-hardness can achieve 1100 HV, meanwhile can improve the thermal property of hot-forging die dramatically.

Mold Wear During Die Forging Based on Variance Analysis and Prediction of Die Life

A process parameter optimization method for mold wear during die forging process is proposed and a mold life prediction method based on polynomial fitting is presented,by combining the variance analysis method in the orthogonal test with the finite element simulation test in the forging process.The process parameters with the greatest influence on the mold wear during the die forging process and the optimal solution of the process parameters to minimize the wear depth of the mold are derived.The hot die forging process is taken as an example,and a mold wear correction model for hot forging processes is derived based on the Archard wear model.Finite element simulation analysis of die wear process in hot die forging based on deform software is performed to study the relationship between the wear depth of the mold working surface and the die forging process parameters during hot forging process.The optimized process parameters suitable for hot forging are derived by orthogonal experimental design and analysis of variance.The average wear amount of the mold during the die forging process is derived by calculating the wear depth of a plurality of key nodes on the mold surface.Mold life for the entire production process is predicted based on average mold wear depth and polynomial fitting.

Experimental study and numerical simulation of isothermal closed die forging for aluminium alloy rotor

The closed die forging(or fully-enclosed die forging) method was employed to form a rotor instead of the conventional machining method. A combined female die was designed so that the rotor could be released easily from the female die after forging. In order to improve the metal flow ability, the isothermal forming technique was introduced to the closed die forging process. On the basis of the rigid-viscoplastic FEM principle, the DEFORM 3D software package was employed to simulate the forming process. The simulation results illustrate that the deformation of different part of the billet is not the same. The material near the entrance of the die cavity is deformed greatly whose strain rate and strain are both large, while the deformation of the material at the billet center is much smaller.

Carbide Coating Preparation of Hot Forging Die by Plasma Processing

To meet the performance requirements of hot forging die heat resistant layer, the Ni60-SiC coating, Ni60-Cr3C2 coating, and Ni60-WC coating were prepared using W6Mo5Cr4V2 as substrate material with 30%SiC, 10%Cr3C2, 30%WC powder by means of plasma spraying and plasma spray re-melting and plasma spray welding, respectively. Microstructure of each carbide coating was analyzed, micro-hardness was tested, and mainly thermal parameters of coating were detected. The experimental results show that using plasma spray welding, the performance of 70%Ni60/30%SiC powder is the best, and its micro-hardness can achieved 1100HV, showing good thermal-physical property.

Effect of Alloying Elements on Thermal Wear of Cast Hot-Forging Die Steels

The effect of main alloying elements on thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steels was studied. The wear mechanism was discussed. The results show that alloying elements have significant influences on the thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steels. The wear rates decrease with an increase in chromium content from 3% to 4% and molybdenum content from 2% to 3%, respectively. With further increase of chromium and molybdenum contents, chromium slightly reduces the wear resistance and molybdenum severely deteriorates the wear resistance with high wear rate. Lower vanadium/carbon ratio （1.5-2.5） leads to a lower wear resistance with higher wear rate. With an increase in vanadium/carbon ratio, the wear resistance of the cast steel substantially increases. When vanadium/carbon ratio is 3, the wear rate reaches the lowest value. The predominant mechanism of thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steels are oxidation wear and fatigue delamination. The Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 or lumps of brittle wear debris are formed on the wear surface.

Research on Thermal Wear of Cast Hot Forging Die Steel Modified by Rare Earths

Thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steel modified by rare earths（RE） was studied and compared with commercially used die steels. The function of RE and the mechanism of thermal wear of cast steel modified by RE were discussed. The results showed that with increasing content of RE, the wear rate of cast steel reduced at first and then increased. By adding 0.05% （mass fraction） RE, the cast hot-forging die steel with optimum thermal wear resistance was obtained, which was better than that of H13 and 3Cr2WSV. The large amount of coarse inclusions, （RE）2O2S, resulted from excessive RE, which obviously deteriorated thermal wear resistance. The mechanism of thermal wear of the modified cast die steel is oxidation wear and oxide fatigue delamination. The wear debris are lumps of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.

Filling Rules of Bevel Gears in the Closed-die Cold Forging

The closed-died cold forging technology of the bevel gears used in Jada car was investigated. With the analysis of the strain field and velocity field of the plastic deformation and the endured forces of the dies, the filling rules for the metal were analyzed by the elastic-plastic finite element method （FEM）. The results show that there is a great difference among closed-die cold forging, extrusion and forging, as far as the metal flowing is concerned. The outer addendum cannot be filled completely in the closed-die cold forging of the bevel gears, and the round angle will be formed. But it does not influence the application of the bevel gears. At the beginning, the rigid area is formed in the cavity of the lower die. And then it will move upwards to supply the metal for the gear filling. For the closed-die cold forging of the bevel gears, the force acting on the upper die and the lower die is significantly different.

Fatigue Behavior of Cemented Carbide Die in Cold Forging of Steel

The fatigue behavior of cemented carbide die under service load in the multistage cold forging of steel was investigated. It was found that the fatigue cracks do not initiate at the stress concentration position and the crack initiation position can be classified to three types. The crack initiation position can be predicted by FEM only when the plastic deformation of the die is considered.

Research on Forging Die Design Ontology

Forging die design is heavily dependent on engineers’ experiences.But traditional AI technologies can barely pro- vide a standard knowledge representation style for knowledge transferring.This paper introduces ontology into forging die design. 3-layer forging die design ontology is built,which includes Meta-ontology,Domain-ontology and Bottom ontology.Further,by conceptualization,the concepts and their relations are formally addressed by primitives such as Term,Relation and Function etc, which are explicitly expressed by concept tree.Bottom ontology uses Knowledge Item and Prototype to represent and capture general knowledge for knowledge reuse and share.Forging die design ontology building approach is discussed for standard knowledge repre- sentation,knowledge mine and knowledge driven CAD design etc.And OWL language is employed for integration among different domain ontologies integration.Finally a locomotive forging die KBE system is presented to demonstrate this approach.