Abstract
This study performs a complex analysis and review of the currently applied methods of inductively heating the charge material in hot die forging processes, as well as elaborates and verifies a more effective heating method. On this basis, a device for inductive heating using variable frequency inductors was designed and constructed, which made it possible to reduce the scale and decarburization with respect to the heater used so far. In the first place, the temperature distributions in the heater in the function of time were modeled with the use of the CEDRAT FLUX software. The aim of the research was to analyze the temperature gradient and value diversification on the surface and in the material core, as well as to determine the process stability. The following stage was designing and constructing a heater with an automatic system of loading and positioning of the charge on the exit, as well as with a possibility of working in a fully automated system adjusted to the work center. The last stage of investigations was the verification of the elaborated effective heating method on the basis of a short production series and a continuous work for the period of 8 h, both in the quantitative and qualitative aspect (reduced oxidation and decarburization as well as a gradient between the core and the surface). The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed solution referring to heating the charge material, especially in the aspect of stability and repeatability of the process, as well as a significant reduction in oxidation and decarburization of the material surface.
Highlights
The processes of heating the charge material in a die forging process are constantly improved, yet they still pose a challenge scientifically, technologically, and economically
Introducing a protective atmosphere is not always possible due to the limitations resulting from the specificity of some processes realized in open space, but mostly for economic reasons, which is the case of large production series of forgings for the automotive industry
The main problem with the use of coatings is the temperature at which the steel is heated before the forging process; in extreme cases, the charge reaches over 1300 ◦C, which significantly limits the spectrum of materials that can be used for that purpose
Summary
The processes of heating the charge material in a die forging process are constantly improved, yet they still pose a challenge scientifically, technologically, and economically. Introducing a protective atmosphere is not always possible due to the limitations resulting from the specificity of some processes realized in open space, but mostly for economic reasons, which is the case of large production series of forgings for the automotive industry. In such cases, protective coatings can be applied, whose task is to separate the surface from the reactive atmosphere of oxygen. The main problem with the use of coatings is the temperature at which the steel is heated before the forging process; in extreme cases, the charge reaches over 1300 ◦C, which significantly limits the spectrum of materials that can be used for that purpose. The advantages of water graphite suspensions include excellent lubrication properties, reduced tool wear during forging, a wide range of possible graphite grain sizes (up to 50 μm), well-coated products, with them being easy to dilute, economical, free of ammonia [10]
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