Optimization strategy in end milling process for high speed machining of hardened die/mold steel

An optimization strategy for high speed machining of hardened die/mold steel based on machining feature analysis was studied. It is a further extension of the previously presented study on the thermal mechanism of end milling and constant cutting force control. An objective function concerning machining cost and associated optimization algorithm based on machining time and cutting length calculation was proposed. Constraints to satisfy specific machining strategies when high speed machining the hardened die/mold steel, trochoid tool path pattern in slot end milling to avoid over-heat and feed rate adaptation to avoid over-load, were also discussed. As a case study, the tool selection problem when machining a die part with multiple machining features was investigated.

HSM strategy study for hardened die and mold steels manufacturing based on the mechanical and thermal load reduction strategy

The paper discussed cutter-work engagement situation hidden behind the mechanical and thermal load effect on cutting edges during high speed hard machining process. The engagement situation was investigated in great detail using experimental and geometrical analytic measures. Experiments were conducted using A1TiN-coated micro-grain carbide end mill cutters to cut hardened die steel. On the basis, a general high speed hard machining strategy, which aimed at eliminating excessive engagement situation during high-speed machining （HSM） hard machining, was proposed. The strategy includes the procedures to identify prone-to-overload areas where excessive engagement situation occurs and then to create a reliable tool path, which has the effect of cutting load reduction to remove the prone-to-overload areas.

Polishing Techniques of Stainless Steel Molding Die for the Slumping Method of Glass Optical Components

In recent years, high precision geometric shape, surface roughness, and cost reduction are required for large glass component molding processes. In this research, the polishing process of stainless steel molding dies used to form thin glass components is investigated. The surface roughness of the polished stainless steel molding die surface is below Rz = 200 nm （P-V） at 15 h polishing with 0.5 % alumina polishing liquid. In the case of polishing process with only the weight of molding die and a polishing pressure of 0.5 kPa, polishing times are approximately 60 h and 20 h, respectively. Final surface roughness polished stainless steel molding die surface with pressure of 0.5 kPa is Rz = 7 nm （P-V）, rms -- 1.6 nm and Ra = 1.4 nm. In a thin glass component manufacturing method, ＂slumping method＂, surface roughness before glass forming is rms = 0.7 nm and Ra = 0.6 nm, and after is rms = 0.7 nm and Ra = 0.6 nm. Therefore, there were no observable changes their surface roughness.

Study on Key Joining Technology and Test Method of Steel/Al Hybrid Structure Body-in-White

Green and low carbon promote the application and development of light-weight materials in body-in-white. Large-scale die-casting Al alloy (DCAA) and high-strength thermo-formed steel sheet (TFSS) have put forward higher requirements for the application of joining technology of high-strength steel/Al dissimilar materials. Taking the new die-casting Al alloy body as an example, this paper systematically studies the progress of the latest joining methods of steel/Al dissimilar material with combination of two-layer plate and three-layer plate. By analyzing the joining technologies such as FSPR, RES, FDS and SPR, the technology and process characteristics of steel/Al dissimilar material joining are studied, and the joining technical feasibility and realization means of different material combination of the body are analyzed. The conditions of material combination, material thickness, material strength, flange height, preformed holes and joint spacing for achieving high-quality joining are given. The FSPR joining technology is developed and tested in order to meet with the joining of parts with DCAA and TFSS, especially for the joining of three-layer plates with them. It finds the method and technical basis for the realization of high quality joining of dissimilar materials, provides the early conditions for the application of large DCAA and TFSS parts in body-in-white, and meets the design requirements of new energy body. .

Effects of heat treatment on the microstructures and mechanical properties of a new type of nitrogen-containing die steel

Nitrogen can increase the strength of steels without weakening the toughness and improve the corrosion resistance at the same time. Compared with conventional nitrogen-free die steels, a new type of nitrogen-containing die steel was developed with many superior properties, such as high strength, high hardness, and good toughness. This paper focused on the effects of heat treatment on the microstruc- tures and mechanical properties of the new type of nitrogen-containing die steel, which were investigated by the optimized deformation process and heat treatment. Isothermal spheroidal annealing and high-temperature quenching as well as high-temperature tempering were ap- plied in the experiment by means of an orthogonal method after the steel was multiply forged. The mechanical properties of nitro- gen-containing die steel forgings are better than the standard of NADCA #207-2003.

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.

Design of Quenching Process for Large-sized AISI P20 Steel Block Used as Plastic Die

For large-sized AISI P20 steel block used as plastic die with a thickness of more than 200 mm, appropriate quenching processes are the key to obtain much thick hardened layer. In this paper, different quenching processes of AISI P20 steel block such as oil quenching, direct water quenching, water quenching with precooling and water quenching with pre-cooling and self-tempering were numerically investigated by computer simulation based on the detailed discussion on the mathematical models of quenching processes including partial differential equations of heat transfer, thermal physical properties, latent heat, heat transfer coefficient and calculation of phase transformation, The results show that the water quenching with pre-cooling and self-tempering process can not only effectively avoid quenching cracks, but also obtain deeper harden depth than oil quenching.

Effect of electromagnetic stirring in mold on the macroscopic quality of high carbon steel billet

An industrial plant trial for optimizing the process parameters in a round billet continuous casting mold with electromagnetic stirring （M-EMS） was performed, in which the influences of stirring parameters with M-EMS on the solidification macrostructure of high carbon steel were investigated. The results show that the billet quality is not well controlled under the condition of working current and frequency with EMS, in which the subsurface crack of grade 1.0-2.0 ups to 38.09%, the central pipe of grade 1.0-1.5 reaches to 14.28%, and the central porosity of grade 1.5 is 14.29%. The parameters of current 260 A and frequency 8 Hz as the final optimum scheme has a remarkable effect for improving the macroscopic quality of billet, in which the subsurface crack, central pipe and skin blowhole are all disappeared, and the central porosity and carbon segregation are also well improved.

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.

MECHANICAL STABILIZATION OF DEFORMED AUSTENITEDURING CONTINUOUS COOLING TRANSFORMATION IN AC-Mn-Cr-Ni-Mo PLASTIC DIE STEEL

The influence of prior austenite deformed at different temperature on the subsequent continuous cooling bainitic transformation has been investigated in an C-Ma-Cr-Ni-Mo plastic die steel. The results show that the prior deformation in low temperature region of austenite retards significantly the bainitic transformation. For the same continuous cooling schedule, as austenite deformed at lower temperature, the quantity of the classical sheaf-like bainite becomes less. The present results show that severe deformation leads to mechanical stabilization of austenite and causes the difficulty of bainitic ferrite propagation into the austenite.

Study on Numerical Simulation of Mold Filling and Heat Transfer in Die Casting Process

A 3-D mathematical model considering turbulence phenomena has been established based on a computational fluid dynamics technique, so called 3-D SOLA-VOF (Solution Algorithm-Volume of Fluid), to simulate the fluid flow of mold filling process of die casting. In addition, the mathematical model for simulating the heat transfer in die casting process has also been established. The computation program has been developed by the authors with the finite difference method (FDM) recently. As verification, the mold filling process of a S-shaped die casting has been simulated and the simulation results coincide with that of the benchmark test. Finally, as a practical application, the gating design of a motorcycle component was modified by the mold filling simulation and the dies design of another motorcycle component was optimized by the heat transfer simulation. All the optimized designs were verified by the production practice.

Fabrication and sintering behavior of high-nitrogen nickel-free stainless steels by metal injection molding

High-nitrogen nickel-free stainless steels were fabricated by the metal injection molding technique using high nitrogen alloying powders and a mixture of three polymers as binders.Mixtures of metal powders and binders with various proportions were also investigated, and an optimum powder loading capacity was determined as 64vol%.Intact injection molded compacts were successfully obtained by regulating the processing parameters.The debinding process for molded compacts was optimized with a combination of thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis.An optimum relative density and nitrogen content of the specimens are obtained at 1360℃,which are 97.8%and 0.79wt%,respectively.

Effect of CeO_2 on heat transfer and crystallization behavior of rare earth alloy steel mold fluxes

To improve the heat transfer capability and the crystallization property of the traditional mold flux, CaF_2 was replaced with B_2O_3. Then, the influences of CeO_2 on the heat transfer and the crystallization of the CaF_2-bearing mold flux and the new mold flux with 10 wt% B_2O_3 were studied using a slag film heat flux simulator and X-ray diffraction(XRD). The results revealed that the addition of CeO2 reduced the heat transfer by increasing the solid slag thickness and the crystallization of two mold fluxes. However, CeO_2 had less effect on the B_2O_3-containing mold flux compared with the CaF_2-bearing mold flux. According to the analyses, the CeO_2 contents in the CaF_2-bearing mold flux and the B_2O_3-containing mold flux should not exceed 8 wt% and 12 wt%, respectively. Therefore, these experimental results are beneficial to improve and develop the mold flux for casting rare earth alloy steels.

Simulation of mold filling and prediction of gas entrapment on practical high pressure die castings

Element parameters including volume filled ratio,surface dimensionless distance,and surface filled ratio for DFDM(direct finite difference method)were proposed to describe shape and location of free surfaces in casting mold filling processes.A mathematical model of the filling process was proposed specially considering the mass,momentum and heat transfer in the vicinity of free surfaces.Furthermore,a method for gas entrapment was established by tracking flow of entrapped gas.The model and method were applied to practical ADC1 high pressure die castings.The gas entrapment prediction was compared with the fraction and maximum size of porosities in the different casting parts.The comparison shows validity of the proposed model and method.The study indicates that final porosities in high pressure die castings are dependent on both gas entrapment during mold filling process and pressure transfer within solidification period.

Effect of microstructure on the impact toughness of a bainitic steel bloom for large plastic molds

The correlation between the impact toughness and microstructural characteristics of a large bainitic steel bloom has been investigated. The study focuses on microcrack nucleation and propagation in the basic cleavage plane. To analyze the phase transformation during the wind-cooling process, the temperature field of the bloom was acquired by computer simulation, and a continuous cooling transformation experiment was conducted. The results show that compared with the surface of the bloom, the toughness of the bloom’s core is decreased by the increase in proeutectoid ferrite and the coarsening of tempered martensite–austenite constituents. The proeutectoid ferrite decreases the toughness via its effects on carbide precipitation, the formation of martensite–austenite constituents, and the bainite transformation. The relatively large tempered martensite–austenite constituents are conducive to microcrack nucleation and propagation.

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.

Effect of Rare Earth Composite Modification on Microstructure and Properties of a New Cast Hot-Work Die Steel

The effects of RE modification on structure and the properties of a new cast hot work die (CHD) steel were investigated. The grains of the CHD steel are refined by RE modification. With the increase of RE addition, both grain size and inclusion amount are reduced. Appropriate amount of RE results in decrease in inclusion amount and formation of spheroidal inclusions uniformly-distributed in steel, so that the morphology and distribution of inclusions are improved. RE composite modification favors the formation of bainite, austenite and fine lath martensite with dense dislocation. When the residual RE content reaches 0.02%, no obvious changes in strength and hardness are found, while fracture toughness and threshold of fatigue crack growth are increased. The impact toughness, elongation and reduction of cross sectional area are increased by a factor of two, and thermal fatigue resistance is also improved.

Calculation and Analysis of Valence Electron Structure of Mo_2C and V_4C_3 in Hot Working Die Steel

Taking the hot working die steel （HWDS） 4Cr3Mo2NbVNi as an example, the phase electron structures （PES） and the biphase interface electron structures （BIES） of Mo2C and V4 C3 , which are two kinds of important carbides precipitated during tempering in steel were calculated, on the basis of the empirical electron theory of solids and molecules and the improved TFD theory. The influence of Mo2 C and V4 C3 on the mechanical properties of HWDS has been analyzed at electron structure level, and the fundamental reason that the characteristic of the PES and the BIES of carbides decides the behavior of them has been revealed.

Theoretical modeling of cutting temperature in high-speed end milling process for die/mold machining

A parametric model of cutting temperature generated in end milling process is developed according to the thermal mechanism of end milling as an intermittent operation, which periodically repeats the cycle of heating under cutting and cooling under non-cutting. It shows that cutting speed and the tool-workpiece engagement condition are determinative for tool temperature in the operation. The suggested model was investigated by tests of AlTiN coated endmill machining hardened die steel JIS SKD61, where cutting temperature on the flank face of tool was measured with an optical fiber type radiation thermometer. Experimental results show that the tendency of cutting temperature to increase with cutting speed and engagement angle is intensified with the progressing tool wear.

Research on mold flux for hypo-peritectic steel at high casting speed

Mold fluxes having adaptable properties were developed in the laboratory to solve quality defects, such as depressions and longitudinal cracks when casting hypo-peritectic steel at high casting speed. Firstly, the effect of components on the high basicity mold flux properties was first studied using the orthogonal method. In the scope of the studied content, Li2O has the largest effect on the melting temperature, and the least effect on the viscosity; CaF2 has the largest effect on the viscosity, and the least effect on the melting temperature; Na2O and CaO/SiO2 have no obvious influence on the melting temperature and viscosity. Secondly, two powders （Z1 and Z6） have reasonable viscosity-temperature curves, higher solidification temperatures, and porous structure after solidification, but the crystal property of Z6 is worse than that of Z1, and thus Z1 is more suitable for continuous casting hypo-peritectic steel at high casting speed. Thirdly, a higher basicity of powder, a less free enthalpy of crystal compound, and a lower baffle energy are good for a higher tendentiousness of crystal.