UNIT – III

FORMING TECHNOLOGY

Mechanical Working Plastic deformation

(Mechanical Pressure)

Dimensional Changes
Properties
Surface conditions

Mechanical Working Hot Working

Cold Working

Hot Working:
Deforming metal above recrystallisation temperature and below melting point (new
grains are formed)

FORGING
• ROLLING
EXTRUSION
• DRAWING
• PIERCING
 FORGING :
Process of reducing a metal billet between flat dies or in a closed impression die to obtain
a part of a predetermined size and shape.

Smith Die (Flat Die / Open Die): Hand Forging & Power Forging

Impression Dies Forging : Drop and Press

HAMMER: Machine which work on forgings by blow

PRESS : Machine which work on forgings by pressure

PRESSES: HAMMERS:
HYDRAULIC GRAVITY DROP
MECHANICAL POWER DROP
SCREW COUNTER BLOW

SPEED RANGE OF FORGING EQUIPMENT

Hydraulic press : 0.06 – 0.30 m/s
Mechanical press : 0.06 – 1.5 m/s
Screw press : 0.0 – 1.2 m/s
Gravity drop hammer : 3.6 – 4.8 m/s
Power drop hammer : 3.0 – 9.0 m/s
Counter blow hammer : 4.5 – 9.0 m/s

HYDRAULIC PRESS:
Operate at constant speed

Load limited / load restricted (Press stops if the load required exceeds its capacity)

Large amount of energy transmitted to work piece by constant load throughout the stroke

Slower & involves higher initial cost but require less maintenance

Press capacity range up to 14,000 tons for open die forging, 82,000 tons for closed die
forging.

(Ex.) Main landing gear support beam for Boeing 747 aircraft is forged in a 50,000 tons
hydraulic press (Closed die forging) Titanium alloy – weighs 1350 kgs.
Schematic illustration of the principles of various forging machines.
(a) Hydraulic press. (b) Mechanical press with an eccentric drive; the eccentric shaft can
be replaced by a crankshaft to give the up-and-down motion to the ram.

MECHANICAL PRESS:
Stroke limited (Speed varies from a max at the center of the stroke to zero at the bottom
of the stroke)

Energy is generated by a large flywheel powered by an electric motor.

A clutch engages the flywheel to an eccentric shaft

A connecting rod translates the rotary motion into a reciprocating linear motion.

Force available in a mechanical press depends on the stroke position

Extremely high at the BDC, Have high production rates

Easy to automate & requires less operator skill

Capacity range from 300 tons to 12,000 tons.

SCREW PRESS:
Presses derive their energy from a flywheel
Forging load is transmitted thru. a vertical screw

Ram comes to a stop when the flywheel energy is dissipated

Hence screw presses are energy limited

If the dies do not close at the end of the cycle, the operation is repeated until the forging
is completed

Used for various open die and closed die forging

Suitable for small production quantities and precision parts (turbine

blades) & Capacity range from 160 tons to 31,500 tons

GRAVITY DROP HAMMER (DROP FORGING)
Energy is derived from the free falling ram

Available energy of the hammer is the product of the ram’s weight and the height of the
drop

Ram wt. range from 180 kg to 4500 kg.

POWER DROP HAMMER

Ram’s down stroke is accelerated by steam, air or hydraulic pressure at about 750 kpa

Ram wt. range from 225 kg to 22500 kg

 Pneumatic Power Hammer
COUNTER BLOW HAMMER
Has two rams that simultaneously approach each other horizontally or vertically to forge
the parts

Operates at high speeds and transmits less vibration

ROLLING

Method of forming metal into desired shape by plastic deformation between rolls

Crystals are elongated in the direction of rolling

Start to reform after leaving the zone of stress

Work is subjected to high compressive stresses and surface shear stresses.

Metal in a hot plastic state is passed between 2 rolls revolving at the same speed but in
apposite direction

Metal is reduced in thickness and increased in length

Application: Bars, Plates, Sheets, Rails & Structural Sections

Backing Roll Arrangements
 RING ROLLING

A thick ring is expanded into a large diameter ring with a reduced c.s.

Ring is placed between two rolls (one is driven)

Thick. is reduced by bringing the rollers closer together as they rotate

Volume of ring remains constant during deformation, the reduction in thk. Is

compensated by an increase in the ring’s diameter.

Ring shaped blank is produced by

• cutting from the plate

• piercing
• cutting a thick walled pipe
Various shapes can be ring rolled by the use of shaped rolls

can be carried out at room / elevated temp depending upon the size, strength and ductility
of w / p
Application of ring rolling
 • large rings for rockets & turbines
• gearwheel rims
• ball bearing & roller bearing races
• flanges
• reinforcing rings for pipes
Advantages

• short production time

• no material wastage
• close dimensional tolerances
• Favorable grain flow.

THREAD ROLLING

Cold forming process: St / Tapered threads are formed on round rods by pressing them
between dies

Threads are formed on w/ p with each stroke of a pair of flat reciprocating dies.

Process is capable of generating similar shapes such as grooves, gear forms etc.

Almost all threaded fasteners at high production rates are formed

Threads are also formed with rotary dies.

Advantages

• generating threads involve no wastage of material

• Good strength ( due to cold working)
• Surface finish is very smooth
• Induces compressive residual stress results in improving fatigue life
 EXTRUSION
Billet is forced through a die

Any solid / hollow c.s. can be produced

Extruded part have a constant c.s. because the die geometry remains constant

Types : Direct / Forward, Indirect / Reverse, Hydrostatic & Lateral Extrusion

Direct Extrusion:

A round billet is placed in a chamber

Forced thru. a die opening by a hydraulically – driven ram / pressing stem

Die opening may be round or can have any shapes.

Extruded part moves in the direction of application of force

Indirect extrusion:

Die moves towards the billet.

Extruded part moves in the direction opposite to the direction of application of force.

Force is applied thru. the tool stem

At the end of the chamber backing disc is provided.

Hydrostatic extrusion:

The billet is smaller in volume than the chamber.

Chamber is filled with fluid and the pressure is transmitted to the billet by the ram

No friction is there to overcome along the chamber walls.

Extruded part moves in the direction of application of pressure

Carried out at room temperature using vegetable oil as the fluid ( Castor oil)

For elevated temp. extrusion Wax, Polymers and glass were used as fluids.
Lateral Extrusion:

Extruded part moves out in the direction perpendicular to the direction of application of
force.

Commonly extruded materials are Al., Cu., Steel, plastics, lead pipes etc.

Typical products includes railings for sliding doors, tubes of various c.s., Structural &
architectural shapes, door & window frames etc.
Extrusion defects:

Surface cracking: If the temp., friction or speed is high surface temp. increases
significantly and may result in surface cracks.

Occur especially in Al., Mg., and Zn. Alloys.

Pipe: During metal flow it tends to draw surface oxides & impurities toward the center of
the billet like a funnel, called as pipe defect.

Internal cracking: Center of the extruded part can develop cracks due to the higher die
angle, impurities etc.

DRAWING PROCESS

C.S. of a round rod or wire is typically reduced / changed by pulling it thru. a die.

Major variables in drawing:

• Reduction in c.s. area

• Die angle
• Friction along the die - w/p interfaces
• Drawing speed
Die angle influences the drawing force and the quality of the drawn product

As more work has to be done to overcome friction, force increases with increasing
friction

As reduction increases, the drawing force increases

Magnitude of the force is to be limited (when the tensile stress due to drawing force
reaches the yield stress of the metal, the w/p will simply yield and eventually break)

Max.reduction in c.s. area per pass is 63% (ie) 10 mm dia rod can be reduced to a dia of
6.1 mm in one pass without failure.

Various solid c.s. can be produced by drawing thru. dies with different profiles

Tubes as large as 300 mm in dia can be drawn

Drawing speeds depend on the material and on the reduction in c.s. area.

Range from 1 m/s to 2.5 m/s for heavy sections and upto 50 m/s for very fine wire
Die Materials

Usually tool steels and carbides : diamond dies are used for fine wire

For improved wear resistance, steel dies may be chromium plated and carbide dies may
be coated with titanium nitride.
Mandrels for tube drawing are made of hardened tool steels / carbides.

Diamond dies are used for drawing fine wire with dia ranging from 2 μm to 1.5 mm.

May be made of single crystal diamond / polycrystalline form with diamond particles in a
metal matrix.

Due to lack of tensile strength and toughness, carbide and diamond dies are used as
inserts, supported in a steel casing

For hot drawing, cast steel dies are used due to their high resistance to wear at elevated
temp.

Lubrication:

Proper lubrication is essential in order to

• improve die life

• reduce drawing forces
• reduce temp.
• improve surface finish
Basic types:
Wet drawing: The dies and the rod are completely immersed in the lubricant (oils &
emulsions containing fatty or chlorinated additives)

Dry drawing: Surface of the rod to be drawn is coated with a lubricant (soap) by passing
it through a box filled with the lubricant.

Coating: Rod is coated with a soft metal, which acts as a solid lubricant. Copper / Tin can
be chemically deposited on the surface of the metal.

Sheet metal operations:

Products made by sheet metal forming processes include metal desks, file cabinets,
appliances, car bodies, aircraft parts, beverage cans etc.,

Sheet metal parts offer the advantage of light weight and versatile shapes.

Because of the low cost, good strength and good formability characteristics, low carbon
sheet is most commonly used.

Aluminium and titanium are used for aircraft and aerospace applications

Press tool operations is cheapest and fastest method for manufacturing sheet metal
components.

Outline of Sheet-Metal Forming Processes

Classification of press tool operation based on stresses introduced into the components:

S.NO Stresses introduced Operations

1 Shear Blanking, Piercing, Trimming, Notching
2 Tensile Stretch forming
3 Compressive Coining, Sizing, Ironing
4 Tensile & Drawing, Bending, Forming, Embossing
compressive

Shearing action:
Metal is brought to plastic state by pressing the sheet between two shearing blades

Fracture is initiated at the cutting points

Fracture on either side of sheet is further progressing downwards with the movement of
upper shear

Results in separation of slug from parent strip

Metal under the upper shear is subjected to both compressive and tensile stresses

In an ideal shearing operation the upper shear pushes the metal to a depth equal to 1/3rd of
its thick

Area of c.s of metal between cutting edge of shears decrease and causes the initiation of
the fracture.

Fracture initiated at both the cutting points would progress further with the movement of
upper shear, thus completing the shearing action.

Clearance:

Clearance between two shears is one of the principle factors controlling the shearing
process.

Clearance depends essentially on material and thick of sheet metal.

C=0.0032 t τ½.

Effect of the clearance, c, between punch and die on the deformation zone in shearing. As
the clearance increases, the material tends to be pulled into the die rather than be sheared.
In practice, clearances usually range between 2% and 10% of the thickness of the sheet.

Shearing operation:

Blanking:

Process in which the punch removes a portion of material from the strip of sheet metal.

Removed portion is called a blank.

Blank is further processed for a useful application.

Punching/piercing:

Process of making holes in a sheet

Identical to blanking but the punched portion coming out through the die in piercing is
scrap.

Punching force:

P = Atτ where A is the shear area, t is the sheet thickness, τ is the shear strength.

Punching force for hole which are smaller than sheet thickness.
P = dts * (d/t)3

Where d is the dia of the punch and s is the tensile strength.

Compound die for manufacturing a washer

Progressive die for manufacturing a washer

Bending:

Operation of deforming a flat sheet around a straight axis where the neutral plane lies.

Due to the applied forces, the top layers are in tension and bottom layers are in
compression.

Plane with no stresses is called neutral axis.

Outer layers which are under tension should not bed stretched too much.

Amount of stretching depends on sheet thickness and bend radius

Hence there is a minimum bend radius to be specified.

Deep Drawing
HIGH ENERGY RATE FORMING

Explosive Forming

Electro – Hydraulic Forming

Electro – Magnetic Forming

Explosive Forming:

Modern metal working / forming technique

Employed in aerospace / aircraft industries, Production of automotive / related

components.

Utilized for a wide variety of metals: Aluminium / High strength alloys

Punch is replaced by an explosive charge

Charge is very small but capable of exerting tremendous force on work piece.

Energy liberated due to detonation of an explosive is used to form the desired

configuration

Chemical energy from the explosives is used to generated shock waves through a
medium (water)

Shock waves are directed to deform the work piece at very high velocities.

Method of Explosive forming:

Two methods

Depending on the position of the explosive charge relative to the work piece

• Stand – Off method

 • Contact method
Contact Method:

Explosive charge is held in direct contact with the work piece while the detonation is
initiated

Produces interface pressures on the surface of metal – 35,000 mpa

Stand – Off method

Explosive Charge is located at some predetermined distance from the workpiece

Energy is transmitted through an intervening medium like air, oil or water.

Explosive forming setup consists of

• An explosive charge
• An energy transmitting medium
• A die assembly & Work piece
Die assembly is placed on the bottom of the tank

W / P is placed on the die and blank holder is placed on it

Vacuum is then created in the die cavity

Explosive charge is placed in position over the centre of the W / P & is suspended at a
predetermined distance

Complete assembly is immersed in a tank of water

Detonation is initiated and a pressure pulse of high intensity is produced

When pressure pulse impinges against the work piece the metal is displaced into the die
cavity

Pressure exerted is very high

Intensity & duration of pressure is to be controlled to avoid tearing of work piece.

Advantages of Explosion Forming:

• Maintains precise tolerances

• Controls smoothness of contours
• Reduces tooling costs
• Less expensive alternative to super plastic forming
• Since only one half of the die is required, cost of die manufacture is
reduced
• Cost of equipment required is relatively low
• Parts difficult to form by any other mechanical means can be formed
• Better surface finish is created
• Better forming accuracy is possible as there is no spring back in the
workpiece
• Annealing operation required for deep forming by conventional means
is eliminated.
• Forming large metal parts.
Disadvantages:
  Employees must be trained in the safe use of explosives.
 Process must be done in a remote area, increases transportation and
handling cost.
 Not suitable for mass production of small components.
Characteristics of Explosive Forming:

Very large sheets with relatively complex shapes

Low tooling costs, but high labor cost

Suitable for low quantity production, Long cycle times

Explosives:

Substances that undergo rapid chemical reaction during which heat & large quantities of
gaseous products are evolved

Can be a solid (TNT), Liquid (Nitroglycerine) or gaseous (Oxygen & Acetylene

mixtures)

Classified into 2 types:

Low Explosives: The ammunition burns rapidly rather than exploding; hence pressure
build up is not large generally used as propellants in rockets for propelling missiles.

High Explosives: High rate of reaction takes place with a large pressure build up.

Features of Low & High Explosives:

Property High Explosive Low explosive

Method of initiation Primary HE: Ignition, Spark, Flame or impact Ignition

Secondary HE: Detonator or Detonator &

Booster combination
Conversion Time Microseconds Milliseconds
Pressure Up to 4,000,000 psi Up to 40,000 psi
Conversion time : Time required to convert a working amount of high explosive into high
pressure gaseous products
Die Materials:

Fiber Glass & Concrete, Epoxy & Concrete: Low pressure & Large parts

Ductile Iron: High Pressure & Many parts

Concrete: Medium pressure & large parts

Properties of some explosives:

Explosive Relative power % Form of Detonation Energy kj / Max.pr.

TNT charge velocity m/s kg Gpa
RDX (Cyclotrimethylene 170 Pressed 8380 1270 23.4
trinitramine) granules
TNT 100 Cast 7010 780 16.5
PETN (Pentaerythritol 170 Pressed 8290 1300 22.1
tetranitrate granules
Tetryl 129 Pressed 7835 -- --
(Trinitrophenylmethylinitra granules
mine
Blasting gelatin 99 Cartridge 7985 1220 17.9
plastic
 Electro–Hydraulic Forming/ Electric Spark Discharge Forming:

Principle:

Underwater electrical discharge of high voltage is used for metal forming

Electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy

Amount of electrical energy required for forming depends on the following factors:

• Dia & Depth of die cavity

• Distance from the spark to the surface of water
• Width of spark gap
• Thickness of work piece
Process:

Work piece to be formed is placed on top of die

Die is then submerged in water

Vacuum is created in the die cavity

Electrodes are positioned at a predetermined distance above the work piece

Electrodes are positioned short distance apart from each other (Spark gap)

Stored energy from high voltage capacitor bank is released between the submerged
electrodes, i.e. a pulse of high current is being delivered.

Electric arc discharge rapidly vaporizes the fluid creating a shock wave.

Shock wave deforms the work piece into an evacuated die

When shock wave reaches the w/p, there is an imbalance of force on the w/p due

Low pressure in the die cavity as the result of vacuum

High pressure of the shock wave
Due to the imbalance in force, the work is forced in the direction of low pressure and gets
the shape of die cavity.
Advantages:

• Much safer process

• Higher production rates
• Path of discharge can be more accurately controlled
• Better suited to automation
• Fine control of multiple, sequential energy discharges
Disadvantages:

Cost of equipment to initiate the discharge is considerably higher

Amount of discharge is limited to the capacity of electrical power bank (capacitor).

 Electro – Magnetic Forming:

Principle:

EMF created by passing a high current thru. a coil around the w/p is used to form the
desired shape.

Process:

Electrical energy from the capacitor bank is passed through a coil

The coil is placed in close proximity to w/p

A large magnetic field builds up around the coil inducing a voltage (eddy current) in w/p.

The resultant high current builds up its own magnetic field.

These two magnetic fields of force are opposite in direction and repel each other causing
deformation

Placing of coils:

Coil placed inside a tubular w/p: Magnetic force will cause the w/p to bulge
& assume the shape of the die cavity.
Coil placed outside the w/p: Magnetic force will cause shrinking of w/p
towards the formed mandrels.
Flat forming coils: Coil is placed above or below the flat metal sheet.
Electro – magnetic forming factors:

Amount of electrical energy employed must be sufficient to form the part completely.

Coil should be designed stronger than the w/p

Size of wire and no. of turns in the coil are important – effect the strength of EMF created

Coil should be placed at a specific distance from w / p.

Electrical conductivity of work material is an important factor

Thickness of w/p determines the location of the coil and the amount of electrical energy
required.

Advantages:

Amount of electrical energy can be accurately controlled.

Equal amount of force is applied to all areas of the part

No forces are set up unless a part is in the magnetic field

Work may be preheated, No moving parts in the forming equipment

Operation can be automated, Performed in an inert atmosphere

Low cost method

Used for embossing, shrinking operations, swaging or expanding tubular shapes.