August 2020 Volume 2

FORGING RESEARCH

The Forging Foundation News

Building a pipeline of the best and brightest future employees for our industry! The Forging Foundation has had an active first two quarters of 2020. It has been an interesting start to the year, to say the least. Foundation committees have been busy reviewing grant and scholarship applications, the fruits of which you’ll read about in this article. New boardmembers have been installed and boardmeetings have been held virtually -- the new normal. We look forward to live events and in-person meetings resuming in the third and fourth quarters of this year, assuming the virus is under control and we can meet safely. New Board of Trustee Members The Forging Foundation would like to welcome five individuals to the Board of Trustees: • Graham McIntosh, VP & Chief Technology Officer, Universal Stainless &Alloy Products, Inc. (2020-2022 term) • Peter Campbell, President, Campbell Press Repair (2020-2023 term) • Kester Clarke, PhD, Assistant Professor, Colorado School of Mines (2020-2023 term) • John Coward, Corporate Director, Scot Forge Co. (2020-2023 term) • Dan Ulven, President, Ulven Forging Inc. (2020-2023 term) Technology Projects Four industry research projects were approved for funding by the Board of Trustees. These grant awards allow advances to be made in the science of forging and engage students and professors in industry-relevant research. The Board was pleased to start two new Magnet School relationships with Oakland University (Rochester, MI) and the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL). • Dynamic Digital Twin for Enhancing Forging Part Quality and Control North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC) The overall objective of this study is to develop a digital twin as an integral part of a forging system, upon which the physical machine and virtual/cyber machine harmoniously communicate and deliberate the influence of “inherent disturbances” on the product forming quality and underlying loading status of the machine. The digital twin would produce an output map for how to bring about optimal forging conditions.

• Laboratory Forging Press Rebuild Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI)

The proposal is to fund a group of senior design students in the 2020-2021 academic year to refurbish and rebuild a currently inoperable ten-ton hydraulic press into a utility press for instructional and research use. The press could then be used to provide live forging demonstrations for students to improve their understanding of forging. It could also be used as an aid for research projects and as a basis for student projects that involve designing forging processes. • Method of Measuring Friction Conditions in Production Forging Dies Oakland University (Rochester, MI) The objective of this project is to develop the methodology of measuring friction conditions in production cold forging dies and perform an initial early feasibility study for one forging die dedicated to the forging of shafts. The measurements of coefficient of friction will be performed for one forging die for its single as-received condition. However, replication of these measurements for similar dies periodically through their life cycle will potentially enable the measuring of evolution of friction conditions through the life of multiple dies. If confirmed during the scope of this project for the investigated die geometry, the same methodology can be applied for a variety of die surfaces in future research. • Prediction of Relative Globularization Rates in α + β Titanium Alloys as a Function of Initial Crystal Orientation University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) The goal of this project is to enable the development of tailored forging pathways for Ti alloys, which require less energy input during conversion from billet to semi-finished mill product. The billet conversion process for Ti alloys is not just a macroscopic shape change; it also involves changes in the microstructure of the alloy. The initial microstructure (1) has plate-like “laths.” For most applications, this microstructure results in an undesirable combination of strength and ductility and must be broken down through lower temperature hot work steps in the alpha + beta phase field, followed by an anneal (2 to 3) to complete the layer breakdown, a.k.a. “globularization.” NSF Project Support for Magnet Schools Leadership of both the FIA and the Forging Foundation enthusiastically supported Magnet Schools seeking funding from a current NSF grant program centered on metamorphic manufacturing (robotic blacksmithing) by providing endorsement letters to the following Magnet Schools: Colorado School of Mines (CSM) and Brigham Young University (BYU) for their joint

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2020 59