The role of forging technology and the application scope of forgings

The forging process plays a significant role in the production of forgings. The quality of forgings obtained (referring to shape, dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, flow lines, etc.) varies greatly depending on the process flow, and the types and tonnage of equipment used also vary greatly. Some special performance requirements can only be solved by replacing materials with higher strength or new forging processes, such as aviation engine compressor discs and turbine discs. During use, the temperature gradient of the disc edge and hub is large (up to 300-400 ℃). To adapt to this working environment, dual performance discs have emerged. Through appropriate arrangements of forging and heat treatment processes, the dual performance discs produced can indeed meet both high temperature and room temperature performance requirements. The appropriate arrangement of the process flow not only affects the quality, but also affects the production cost of forgings; The most reasonable process flow should be to obtain the best quality forgings, the lowest cost, convenient and simple operation, and fully utilize the potential of the material.

The understanding of the importance of craftsmanship gradually deepens with the deepening development of production and the continuous progress of technology. The emergence of isothermal forging technology has solved the difficulties of forging large precision forgings and difficult to deform alloys that require large tonnage equipment and poor formability. The materials and shapes used in forgings vary greatly, and the processes used are not the same. It is the task of engineers engaged in the forging industry to correctly handle these issues.

Forgings have a wide range of applications. Almost all major load-bearing components of motion are formed by forging, but the biggest driving force for the development of forging (especially die forging) technology comes from the transportation manufacturing industry - automobile manufacturing and later aircraft manufacturing. The size and quality of forgings are increasing, and their shapes are becoming more complex and refined. The materials used for forging are becoming increasingly widespread, making forging more difficult. This is because modern heavy industry and transportation industries pursue long service life and high reliability for their products. Like aviation engines, the thrust to weight ratio is increasing. Some important load-bearing components, such as turbine discs, shafts, compressor blades, discs, shafts, etc., have a wider temperature range, more demanding working environment, more complex stress states, and rapidly increasing stress. This requires load-bearing forgings to have higher tensile strength, fatigue strength, creep strength, and fracture toughness.

With the progress of technology and the increasing level of industrialization, the number of forgings is required to increase year by year. According to foreign predictions, by the end of this century, forging (including sheet metal forming) parts used in aircraft will account for 85%, automobiles will account for 60% -70%, and agricultural machinery and tractors will account for 70%. At present, the annual production of steel die forgings alone in the world is over 10 million tons.