FORGING PROCESS
WHAT IS FORGING?
• Forging is a metal processing process that uses forging pressure machines to put pressure on
metal billets, which will produce plastic deformation in order to obtain certain mechanical
properties, a certain shape and dimensions.
• Forgings can be nearly any shape, which reduces the need for joining multiple pieces.
• The manufacture of forging die and the other high costs of setting up an operation make the
production of small quantities of forged parts expensive on a price per unit basis.
• Once set up, however, operation costs for forging manufacture can be relatively low.
TYPES OF FORGING
• Hot Forging: When forging is performed above the recrystallization temperature of the metal it
is called as Hot Forging
• Cold Forging: When forging is performed below the recrystallization temperature of the metal it
is called as Cold Forging
Hot Forging Example Cold Forging Example
ADVANTAGES OF HOT FORGING
• Hot forged components possess increased ductility which makes them desirable for many
configurations.
• Hot forging is more flexible than cold forging, since customized parts can be manufactured.
Hot Forged Components
DISADVANTAGES OF HOT FORGING
• The properties of hot forged metals are obtained by subsequent heat treatment which requires
additional cost.
• Less precise dimensional tolerance is another possible disadvantage of hot forged components
compared to the cold forged ones.
• The cooling process should be also performed under special conditions; otherwise there is a risk
of warping.
• Possibility of reactions between the atmosphere and the work piece.
ADVANTAGES OF COLD FORGING
• Manufacturers may prefer cold over hot forging process because cold forged parts require very
little or no finishing work.
• Cold forged parts offer a good level of attainable dimensional accuracy and excellent surface
quality.
Cold Forged Components
DISADVANTAGES OF COLD FORGING
• Higher forces are required in cold forging.
• A second more significant disadvantage is that cold forged metals are less ductile, which makes
them inappropriate for certain configurations.
• Also, because of the grain structure that gives the material its strength, residual stress may occur.
TYPES OF FORGING
• According to the arrangement of die, forging operations are classified as:
1. Open Die Forging : This forging process uses flat dies or no die. This is mostly hot forging
process in which the work piece heated and hammered to obtain desire shape. This process
produce rough product.
2. Close Die Forging : Close die forging is a process in which a set of impression die is used to
produce desire shape on work piece. Mostly these products do not need any finishing process.
This process required higher force
TYPES OF FORGING
• According to the Forging equipment, forging operations are classified as:
Smith forging : Smith forging is traditional method of metal forming. It is open die forging
method in which the work piece is placed on a stationary anvil and a hammer strikes and deform
the work piece. The force is applied either by manually or power hammers.
Smith forging Drop forging
Drop Forging : Drop forging is done in closed impression dies. An automatic
hammer applied the force in series of blow by dropping action. In this type, a sudden applied
force is used.
CONT.…
Press forging is similar to drop forging except it uses continuous squeezing type applied force by
the hydraulic press. This process increase the length and decrease its cross section of work piece.
DIFFERENT TOOLS USED FOR BASIC TYPES OF
FORGING OPERATION
• Anvil: The anvil forms the support for blacksmith’s work when hammering. The body of the
anvil is made of mild steel face welded on the body. The beak is used for bending. There is a
square hole at the end which is used for holding the shank of the lower member of pair of tools.
Anvils vary up to about 100-150 kg and should stand with about 0.75 m from the floor. This
height may be attained by resting the anvil on a cast iron or wooden base.
Diagram of Anvil
• Swage Block : This forge shop tool is used for many squaring, sizing, heading, bending and
forming operations. It is 0.25 m or more wide may be used either flat or edgewise in the stand as
shown.
Diagram of Swage Block
• Hand Hammers : Two kinds of hammers are used in hand forging:
a. The hand hammer used by the smith himself.
b. The sledge hammer used by the striker.
• Hand Hammers may further be classified as :
a. Ball peen Hammer: This is the most common form of the hammer and is sometimes called as
engineer’s hammer or chipping hammer. The peen has a shape of a ball which is hardened and
polished as shown. This hammer is chiefly used for chipping and riveting. The size of the
hammer varies from 0.11 to 0.91 kg.
b. Cross peen hammer: This is mainly used for bending, stretching, hammering into shoulders,
inside curves etc. The size varies from 0.22 – 0.91kg.
• Sledge Hammer : The sledge hammer is heavy and has a long handle as shown. Its weight
ranges from 4 to 10 kg. It is used for heavy work.
Sledge Hammer
• Swages : Swages are used for work which has to be reduced and finished to round, square or
hexagonal form.
• Swages consists of two parts – the top part having a handle and the bottom part having a square
shank which fits the handle and the bottom part having a square shank which fits into the haedie
hole in the face as shown.
Swages
• Fullers : Fullers are used for necking down a piece of work. They are made in top and bottom
tools as in case of swages. Fullers are made in various shapes and sizes according to the needs,
the size denoting the width of the fuller edge as shown.
Fullers
• Flatter: This is used to flatten and smooth the metal. It is used under a sledge hammer to flatten
and smoothen the metal, particularly after its thickness has been reduced using fullers.
Flatter
PROCEDURE
• Collect the required raw material of MS circular bar of 25mm diameter and 100mm length. Place
the raw material in the furnace and heated until it become red hot enough for hammering.
• The specimen is heated till it red hot. (Temperature around 1000 – 1300° C). When the material
is in the red hot state, it is said to be in the plastic state.
• The red hot specimen is then placed on the anvil and held by tongs. Hit the job hard by using the
sledge hammer by holding one end with the help of tongs.
• Change the position of the job and repeat hammering to change the rod from round to square.
Repeat heating and hammering until the required shape is obtained.
• A flatter is used to obtain a fine finish on the job. Finally, the job is cooled by dipping in water.
Forging methodology example