Forging

Deformation process in which work is compressed

between two dies
Increase the width of the object at the expense of
thickness
Components: engine crankshafts, connecting rods,
gears, aircraft structural components, jet engine
turbine parts
Also, basic metals industries use forging to establish
basic form of large parts that are subsequently
machined to final shape and size
Classification of Forging Operations
Cold vs. hot forging:
 Hot or warm forging – most common, due to the
significant deformation and the need to reduce
strength and increase ductility of work metal
 Cold forging – advantage: increased strength that
results from strain hardening
Impact vs. press forging:
 Forge hammer - applies an impact load
 Forge press - applies gradual pressure
 Types of Forging Dies

Open-die forging - work is compressed between two

flat dies, allowing metal to flow laterally with
minimum constraint
Impression-die forging - die contains cavity or
impression that is imparted to workpart
 Metal flow is constrained so that flash is created
Flashless forging or closed forging - workpart is
completely constrained in die
 No excess flash is created
 Open-Die Forging

Figure 9 Three types of forging: (a) open-die forging.

 Impression-Die Forging

Figure 9 Three types of forging: (b) impression-die forging.

Flashless Forging or Closed Die Forging

Figure 9 Three types of forging (c) flashless forging.

 Open-Die Forging
Similar to compression test when workpart has cylindrical
cross section and is compressed along its axis
 Deformation operation reduces height and increases
diameter of work
 Common operations in open die forging are
 Cogging or drawing out
 Upsetting or upset forging
 Heading
 Swaging
 Fullering
 Edging
Typical
operations with
open die forging

Cogging or drawing out

Upsetting

Heading Swaging
Typical operations with open die forging

Fullering

Edging
Typical ancillary
operations associated
with open die forging

Piercing

Extrusion Forging

Twisting
Typical ancillary
operations associated
with open die forging

Punching

Shearing

Bending
 Upsetting – production of steel balls

Production of steel balls by upsetting a cylindrical blank.

Note the formation of flash. The balls made by these
processes are subsequently ground and polished for
use in ball bearings
 Open-Die Forging with No Friction
If no friction occurs between work and die surfaces, then
homogeneous deformation occurs, so that radial flow is
uniform throughout workpart height and true strain is
given by:
ho
  ln
h
where ho= starting height; and h = height at some point
during compression
At h = final value hf, true strain is maximum value
 Open-Die Forging with No Friction

Figure 10 Homogeneous deformation of a cylindrical workpart under

ideal conditions in an open-die forging operation: (1) start of
process with workpiece at its original length and diameter, (2)
partial compression, and (3) final size.
Open-Die Forging with Friction
Friction between work and die surfaces
constrains lateral flow of work, resulting in
barreling effect
In hot open-die forging, effect is even more
pronounced due to heat transfer at and near
die surfaces, which cools the metal and
increases its resistance to deformation
 Open-Die Forging with Friction

Figure 11 Actual deformation of a cylindrical workpart in open-die

forging, showing pronounced barreling: (1) start of process, (2)
partial deformation, and (3) final shape.
Impression-Die Forging

Compression of workpart by dies with inverse of

desired part shape
Flash is formed by metal that flows beyond die
cavity into small gap between die plates
Flash must be later trimmed, but it serves an
important function during compression:
 As flash forms, friction resists continued
metal flow into gap, constraining material to
fill die cavity
 In hot forging, metal flow is further restricted
by cooling against die plates
 Impression-Die Forging

Figure 14 Sequence in impression-die forging: (1) just prior to

initial contact with raw workpiece, (2) partial compression,
and (3) final die closure, causing flash to form in gap
between die plates.
 Purpose of Flash

Provides pressure to flow the metal to fill the finer details

the impression
To remove the excess metal
Impression-Die Forging Practice
Several forming steps often required, with
separate die cavities for each step
 Beginning steps redistribute metal for more
uniform deformation and desired
metallurgical structure in subsequent steps
 Final steps bring the part to final geometry
Impression-die forging is often performed
manually by skilled operator under adverse
conditions
Advantages and Limitations
Advantages of impression-die forging compared to
machining from solid stock:
 Higher production rates
 Less waste of metal
 Greater strength
 Favorable grain orientation in the metal
Limitations:
 Not capable of close tolerances
 Machining often required to achieve
accuracies and features needed
Flashless Forging
Compression of work in punch and die tooling
whose cavity does not allow for flash
Starting workpart volume must be equal to die
cavity volume within very close tolerance
Process control more demanding than
impression-die forging
Best suited to part geometries that are simple and
symmetrical
Often classified as a precision forging process
 Flashless Forging

Figure 17 Flashless forging: (1) just before initial contact with

workpiece, (2) partial compression, and (3) final punch and die
closure.
Forging Hammers (Drop Hammers)
Apply impact load against workpart
Two types:
 Gravity drop hammers - impact energy from
falling weight of a heavy ram
 Power drop hammers - accelerate the ram by
pressurized air or steam
Disadvantage: impact energy transmitted through anvil
into floor of building
Commonly used for impression-die forging
Figure 19 Drop forging hammer, fed by conveyor and heating
units at the right of the scene (photo courtesy of
Chambersburg Engineering Company).
 Drop Hammer Details

Figure 20 Diagram showing details of a drop hammer for

impression-die forging.
Forging Presses
Apply gradual pressure to accomplish compression
operation
Types:
 Mechanical press - converts rotation of drive
motor into linear motion of ram
 Hydraulic press - hydraulic piston actuates ram
 Screw press - screw mechanism drives ram
 Forging Presses

Schematic illustration of Hydraulic press and

Mechanical press with an eccentric drive (the
eccentric shaft can be replaced by a crankshaft)
 Forging Presses

Schematic illustration Knuckle-joint press and Screw press

Upsetting and Heading
Forging process used to form heads on nails, bolts,
and similar hardware products
More parts produced by upsetting than any other
forging operation
Performed cold, warm, or hot on machines called
headers or formers
Wire or bar stock is fed into machine, end is headed,
then piece is cut to length
For bolts and screws, thread rolling is then used to
form threads
 Upset Forging

Figure 22 An upset forging operation to form a head on a bolt or

similar hardware item The cycle consists of: (1) wire stock is
fed to the stop, (2) gripping dies close on the stock and the
stop is retracted, (3) punch moves forward, (4) bottoms to
form the head.
 Heading (Upset Forging)

Figure 23 Examples of heading (upset forging) operations: (a)

heading a nail using open dies, (b) round head formed by punch,
(c) and (d) two common head styles for screws formed by die, (e)
carriage bolt head formed by punch and die.
Swaging
Accomplished by rotating dies that hammer a
workpiece radially inward to taper it as the
piece is fed into the dies
Used to reduce diameter of tube or solid rod stock
Mandrel sometimes required to control shape and
size of internal diameter of tubular parts
 Swaging

Figure 24 Swaging process to reduce solid rod stock; the dies

rotate as they hammer the work In radial forging, the workpiece
rotates while the dies remain in a fixed orientation as they
hammer the work.
Roll Forging
 Squeeze Casting

This process combines the advantages of casting

and forging
Trimming
Cutting operation to remove flash from workpart in
impression-die forging
Usually done while work is still hot, so a separate
trimming press is included at the forging station
Trimming can also be done by alternative methods,
such as grinding or sawing
 Trimming after Impression-Die Forging

Figure 29 Trimming operation (shearing process) to remove the

flash after impression-die forging.