Inhibition of tool surface degradation in hot forging through tailored forming of hybrid dies

authored by: Michael Till, Janina Siring, Julius Peddinghaus, Johanna Uhe, Kai Brunotte
Abstract: In forging operations, a high service life of tools is crucial for maintaining efficiency and minimising operational costs. Tools in hot forging are subjected to a complex collective of extreme load mechanisms leading to wear and limited tool life. The primary cause for extensive wear in forging dies is the high temperatures in the surface zone, softening the die material and leading to plastic deformation and ultimately material removal [1]. To repress this mechanism and extend tool life, this work aims at enhancing the effected tool surface zone with a highly temperature-resistant nickel-based alloy. This approach is based on the superior heat resistance of nickel-based alloys and the robust mechanical properties of hot-work steels to significantly enhance tool service life in areas most susceptible to wear and thermal damage. To distribute the nickel-based alloy and achieve beneficial forming microstructure, a tailored forming process, developed in prior work is applied [2]. The focus of the presented work lies on the performance of the tailored formed forging dies depending on the applied nickel-based alloys and surface treatment. The tools are subjected to industry-related serial forging tests for a total of 2,000 cycles each. To analyse the potential for tool life extension in context of the current status quo in industrial forging processes, the results are compared with two reference tools of conventional tool steel with and without a nitrocarburized surface. After undergoing the forging process, the tool wear is measured optically before destructive testing with metallographic methods. The tool surface zones are characterised in terms of microstructure development and deterioration mechanisms and hardness changes as a result of the loads in the forging tests. The hybrid dies show a significantly lower tendency to wear compared to tools made from conventional hot-work tool steel. Based on these results, strategies for the application of this method in industrial forging process are deduced.
Organisation(s): Institute of Metal Forming and Metal Forming Machines
Type: Conference contribution
Pages: 849-858
Publication date: 2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-91 (Access: Open)
: Details in the research portal "Research@Leibniz University"

BibTeX

@inproceedings{d19713fbe1734c908afea774e0f5cc19,
title = "Inhibition of tool surface degradation in hot forging through tailored forming of hybrid dies",
abstract = "In forging operations, a high service life of tools is crucial for maintaining efficiency and minimising operational costs. Tools in hot forging are subjected to a complex collective of extreme load mechanisms leading to wear and limited tool life. The primary cause for extensive wear in forging dies is the high temperatures in the surface zone, softening the die material and leading to plastic deformation and ultimately material removal [1]. To repress this mechanism and extend tool life, this work aims at enhancing the effected tool surface zone with a highly temperature-resistant nickel-based alloy. This approach is based on the superior heat resistance of nickel-based alloys and the robust mechanical properties of hot-work steels to significantly enhance tool service life in areas most susceptible to wear and thermal damage. To distribute the nickel-based alloy and achieve beneficial forming microstructure, a tailored forming process, developed in prior work is applied [2]. The focus of the presented work lies on the performance of the tailored formed forging dies depending on the applied nickel-based alloys and surface treatment. The tools are subjected to industry-related serial forging tests for a total of 2,000 cycles each. To analyse the potential for tool life extension in context of the current status quo in industrial forging processes, the results are compared with two reference tools of conventional tool steel with and without a nitrocarburized surface. After undergoing the forging process, the tool wear is measured optically before destructive testing with metallographic methods. The tool surface zones are characterised in terms of microstructure development and deterioration mechanisms and hardness changes as a result of the loads in the forging tests. The hybrid dies show a significantly lower tendency to wear compared to tools made from conventional hot-work tool steel. Based on these results, strategies for the application of this method in industrial forging process are deduced.",
author = "Michael Till and Janina Siring and Julius Peddinghaus and Johanna Uhe and Kai Brunotte",
year = "2025",
doi = "10.21741/9781644903599-91",
language = "English",
series = "Material Forming: ESAFORM 2025",
pages = "849--858",
booktitle = "Materials Research Proceedings",
}