Technical Article

The influence of forging process on the microstructure and properties of metal forgings

Metal forgings are a special material suitable for important fields such as aviation and aerospace, so the internal structure and performance requirements are higher than other conventional products. This article focuses on the current use of two processing methods, extrusion and forging, and analyzes and studies the microstructure and properties of hot worked metal forgings using forging, extrusion, and a combination of extrusion and forging production processes for metal forging experiments. The specific process flow is as follows: ingot casting - heating - extrusion - solution treatment - ultrasonic testing - peeling - inspection; 2) Ingot - Heating - Forging - Solution Treatment - Ultrasonic Testing - Peeling - Inspection; 3) Ingot casting - heating - forging - trimming - heating - extrusion - solution treatment - ultrasonic testing - peeling - inspection.

The usual processing method for metal forgings is extrusion hot working. Compared with other hot processing methods, the microstructure of extruded products is unevenly distributed in both cross-section and length. Generally speaking, the particles at the front end of the product are coarse, the particles at the back end are fine, and the particles at the center of the cross-section are coarse and the outer layer is fine. Due to insufficient deformation in the front end, especially when the extrusion ratio is very low, a certain amount of casting structure is retained.

Hot processing technology can effectively improve the internal microstructure and properties of metal forgings, reduce structural defects, and damage the coarse grains of metal forgings. Under the same processing rate for metal forgings, the extrusion forging process shows the most significant improvement, with a fine and uniform internal structure at the microscopic level and the best comprehensive mechanical properties. Next is the forging process, and the extrusion process is not as good as the previous two. The internal structure is uneven at the microscopic level, but the mechanical process and forging process are very advanced.