November 2020 Volume 2

November 2020 forging.org

Forging Research and Technology Issue

Official Publication of the Forging Industry Association

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020 1

CONTENTS

NOVEMBER 2020 | VOLUME 2

PRESIDENT'S NOTE President's Note......................................................................................................................................................................................3 WASHINGTON UPDATE 2020 Election: Where Do We Stand Now?...................................................................................................................................7 Steve Haro, Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas MATERIALS The Fundamentals of Grain Flow in Die Steel...........................................................................................................................12 Nick Cerwin and Benjamin Ritchey Heat Treating Corner...........................................................................................................................................................................14 Chuck Hartwig, P.E. OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT COVID-19: Coming to the end of 2020 . . . and then what?.................................................................................................16 Johanna Fabrizio Parker Get Out of Your Box!............................................................................................................................................................................ 18 Drew Locher INDUSTRY NEWS Finkl Steel Parent Company Changes Name .......................................................................................................................... 20 Enprotech Industrial Technologies Expands Manufacturing Operations.................................................................. 23 Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. Acquires ArcelorMittal USA ................................................................................................................. 25 State of Ohio Recognizes Transcon Conveyor for 60 years of Operation................................................................. 26 Asahi Forge Group Completes New Ring Mill Plant .............................................................................................................. 29 Welcome New Members................................................................................................................................................................... 30 FIA Upcoming Events ......................................................................................................................................................................... 31 FORGING RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY Enhancing Tool Life Via Manipulation of the Elastic Strain Field of the Dies During Forging ........................... 32 Gracious Ngaile, Hao Pang, Daniel Santiago, Bharatharajan Subramaniaraman, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University Die Surface Texture and Metal Flow Effects ............................................................................................................................ 44 Joseph Domblesky, Andrew Matcha, Kyle Wolf, and Ross Crowley, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Marquette University How Forging Simulation Saves Time and Money.................................................................................................................. 52 Tom Ellinghausen, Forge Technology, Inc., Stanislav Kanevskiy, QForm Group and Sergey Stebunov, QuantorForm

CONTENTS

Induction Power Supply and SystemMaintenance.............................................................................................................. 58 Joe Stambaugh, Ajax Tocco Magnethermic Corp. Experience With Industry 4.0 at Equipment in Open/Closed Die Forging Shops, Heat Treatment, and Visions in Automation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 64 Rainer Dango, DANGO & DIENENTHAL Group Case Study: Simulation of the Induction Quenching Process......................................................................................... 70 Nicolas Poulain, Transvalor Americas Corp. Porosity and A-Segregation Prediction in Hollow Ingots for Large Forgings ........................................................... 72 Ovidiu Bogdan, Industrial Soft A Comparison Study of the Austenite Grain Growth and its Transformation Behavior During Uniform Continuous Cooling of a Wrought and Selective Laser Melting 4340 Steels........................................................... 82 Yuankang Wang, Pedro de Souza Ciacco, Raymundo Ordonez and C. Isaac Garcia Increasing Forging Die, Tool Life, Increasing Yield, and Preventing Rejections Using Japanese Cold Welding and Other Proven Protective Coatings..................................................................................................................102 S.P. Shenoy and Srikar P.Shenoy, Steel Plant Specialties LLP New Design Solutions of Four-Die Forging Devices (FDFDs) and Their Technological Capabilities............ 110 Dr. Viktor Lazorkin, Dmitry Lazorkin, Roman Onischenko, and Sergey Kuralekh, Lazorkin-Engineering LLC Working With the Right Energy.................................................................................................................................................... 118 Carlo Maffei, Ficep S.p.A. MEMBERS SPEAK Members Speak. ................................................................................................................................................................................120 Raymundo Ordonez Olivares

November2020forging.org

Forging Research and Technology Issue

OfficialPublicationofthe Forging IndustryAssociation

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FIA Magazine (ISSN 2643-1262 (online)) is published 4 times annually, May, August, November and February by the Forging Industry Association, 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 615, Cleveland, OH 44114. Telephone: (216) 781-6260, Fax: (216) 781-0102. Digital version distributed at no charge to qualified individuals. Subscription requests available at www.forging.org. Copyright © 2020 by the Forging Industry Association. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations or for any statement made or opinion expressed herein. Data and information presented by the authors of specific articles are for informational purposes only and are not intended for use without independent, substantiating investigation on the part of potential users.

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FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

President's Note

for them to interact with their industry contacts. The Marketing Committee did a great job securing presentations and attendee feedback was very positive such as this note: “Jim--Good seeing you as well. What a crazy 2020. Not likely to forget it anytime soon. The programwas very good and I was happy to see that many attendees came, both in person and virtually.” Special thanks to our Senior Manager Meetings & Events, Angie Gibian for a yeoman’s job of making all the technology work like a charm. Angie earned herDigital Event Strategist (DES) certification just in time to guide us into this new normal for event production. At FIA, we view this attendance as a positive sign for in-person attendance at our upcoming Forge Fair show to be held May 18 20, 2021 in Detroit. With an estimated attendance of 1,500 to 2,000 attendees scattered across 100,000 square feet of show space – we’re already naturally socially distanced! Booth sales have been impressive and just slightly off our 2019 pace. Forge Fair 2021 will be our first major event since the pandemic hit full-force in March of 2020, and we know the industry is ready to meet. Exhibiting at Forge Fair is not just for equipment makers and suppliers; we get a fair number of OEMs and Tier 1 & 2 buyers walking the show looking to meet forgers. Remember – we are the ONLY forging specific show in North America. Forge Fair 2021 already has seven forging producers taking booths. More details on Forge Fair can be found at www.forgefair.com. Can’t wait to see you all there. The Year of 2020 and Beyond We are close to concluding 2020 and a new year beckons. Change is the one constant we can all bank on. My belief is we all crave the relative stability we enjoyed prior to March 2020…knowing where we’re going for Thanksgiving and Christmas…not worrying so much about our elders and others vulnerable to this virus…going to restaurants. I still think about some of our members whose families suffered greatly due to the COVID-19. We’ve all had our cheese moved, but losing family is the ultimate painful price. What words come to mind when I think of the forging industry? Proud. Hardworking. Resourceful. Resilient. Conservative. Change is afoot, and our administration is changing in 2021. It was for this reason that in 2018 our FIA Board, with advice from its Public Policy Committee, approved staff to research and hire the best bipartisan lobby firmwe could afford. Off toWashington D.C. I headed with our CFO/COO Joe Boni, who had some background

Welcome to Our First Research & Technology Issue To reinforce our commitment to our Forging Foundation and the advancement of our industry, welcome to the first ‘Research & Technology’ issue of FIA Magazine. Our

largest issue ever, we’ve packed in something for everyone. For a forging industry magazine, an unprecedented 11 full technical papers follow and we still have the regular columns you’ve come to enjoy in our Operations & Management and Materials sections. Make sure to read this month’s Members Speak column as an introduction to our current Forging Foundation president Raymundo Ordonez, Ph.D. and Metallurgist at Ellwood Materials Technology. While we’re talking foundation matters, we’ve kicked off the Fall fundraising campaigns for the President’s Challenge and Anvil Supporters. We are all in some tough times right now, but please don’t forget all the great work we're doing with scholarships, technology grants, internships and now our newer focus on community colleges and trade schools. Please join FIA Board Chairman, Mike Gill and I today by making a personal $1,500 pledge to the President’s Challenge. The dollars will be matched by FIERF and sent to a community college or trade school in your neighborhood. Students awarded funds will expect to tour your plant and take FIA’s newly repackaged Forging Fundamentals 101 as an e-learning course. FIA staff will handle it from there, once we receive your donation. So Good to See Many of You Again FIA’s Marketing Committee nearly doubled their 2019 attendance during the 2020MarketingWorkshop held in downtown Cleveland on October 21-22, 2020. The FIA team delivered the event in a ‘hybrid format’ with 40 coming to Cleveland in-person, and 31 choosing to attend virtually. Including speakers, we had a total attendance of 91 – really an impressive turnout. Many members and speakers remarked this was their first business trip of the year, and were thankful FIA made the effort to accommodate in-person attendance, which included abiding by all CDC and State of Ohio social distancing guidelines. We were spaced out across a large conference space and all wearing masks. We made it work, and it was downright joyful seeing so many of our members in-person and

PUBLISHER James R. Warren jwarren@forging.org CONTRIBUTOR Angela Gibian angela@forging.org Editorial Staff

Board of Directors

Peter Campbell Joseph Cipriani John Coward Robert Dimitrieff Marcelo T. Garza

Ron K. Janzen Chelsea Lantto John Pale Greg Timmons Dan Ulven

OPERATIONS Joseph R. Boni joe@forging.org DESIGN Lorean Crowder lorean@forging.org

CHAIRMAN Mike Gill VICE CHAIRMAN Douglas McIntyre

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020 3

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

working with large trade associations and lobbyists in the trucking space. We interviewed several firms and zeroed in on Mehlman Castagnetti. This was a significant ‘get’ for the membership as many thought we could not afford such a firm, but through good negotiations, we arrived at a fair contract. The Mehlman Castagnetti way: • Bipartisan, not nonpartisan: Mehlman Castagnetti lobbyists are known, liked, and listened-to on both sides of the aisle. • Senior strategists: Every lobbyist at Mehlman Castagnetti has served at the highest levels of government and understands how things get done. • All hands on deck: Although they deploy core teams of lobbyists to work with specific clients on a day-to-day basis, they register every lobbyist for every client.This team approach allows them to be nimbler and more responsive to clients’ needs and to serve as a force multiplier when events demand. The Mehlman Castagnetti team consists of 14 full-time bipartisan lobbyists (seven Republicans and seven Democrats) and an additional support staff of eight people. The Mehlman Castagnetti team has strong working relationships with key policy officials in

the executive branch that is a valuable asset to assisting members in ensuring the right message is delivered to the decision-makers. And they are doing their due diligence to track the Biden transition team, so that they are ready to go in January. As many of Mehlman Castagnetti’s democratic lobbyists were former Obama administration officials, we are confident we will have the relationships our industry and members need. Enjoy their article in this historic issue of FIAMagazine. ■ Sincerely, James R. Warren

President and CEO Forging Industry Association

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FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020

WASHINGTON UPDATE

2020 Election: Where Do We Stand Now? By SteveHaro, MehlmanCastagnetti Rosen & Thomas

eight percent among Black voters in 2016. In several key states, Trump's showing among Latinos likely delivered him victory: in Florida, Biden won Latinos 52 to 47 percent (Clinton won by 27-points in 2016); in Texas, Latinos chose Biden over Trump by 19 points, which is a significant decline from Clinton's 27-point margin in 2016. • Trump won 57 percent of the white vote, which is the same percentage he won in 2016. • Thirty-five percent of voters said that the economy was the most important issue in deciding their vote. Of those voters, the president won 65 percent. • Biden and Trump tied among white voters with college degrees, while Trump won white voters without college degrees by 29 points (in 2016, he won this demographic by 37 points). • The two candidates effectively tied among all men 49 percent (Trump) to 48 percent (Biden). In 2016, Trump beat Clinton by 11 points among men. • Women chose Biden over Trump by 13 points, which is the same margin of Clinton’s victory in 2016. • Biden won seniors by one point: 49 to 48 percent. • Among voters who made their presidential choice in October or later (11 percent of the electorate), Trump won by 16 points (51 percent Trump/35 percent Biden/14 percent third-party candidate). • There were more “shy Trump voters” than “shy Biden voters.” Nineteen percent of Trump voters said they kept their support for Trump a secret frommost of their friends, compared to just eight percent of Biden voters. Senate Going intoNovember 3rd, Republicans controlled the United States Senate by amargin of 53 to 47. As of this writing, Republicans turned one seat (Alabama) and Democrats turned two (Colorado and Arizona) bringing the total to 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats. Both races in Georgia did not manage to have a candidate reach 50 percent plus one of the vote, which means that both seats will

We are a divided country … and it’s hard to see us unifying anytime soon . That is one of the key lessons to be garnered from our national election on November 3, 2020. Votes are still being counted and congressional races still have yet to be called, but as of this writing, Joe Biden has defeated President Trump, the United States House of Representatives will remain in Democratic hands (albeit with a smaller majority) and the United States Senate will likely remain in Republican hands (albeit with a smaller majority). Divided government will continue. What that means for policy is tough to define at this point, but we’ll do our best to try. First, let’s break down the elections and what was on Americans’ minds as they cast their votes. Then we’ll take a look at potential policies Washington could tackle as we close out 2020 and start 2021. What Happened: Record Turnout, Close Races White House If everything holds as it currently stands, the Electoral College map will shake out to be 306 to 232 in favor of Joe Biden, which is the same Electoral College count in 2016 when President Trump won. Biden won all the 2016 Clinton states and managed to flip Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nebraska-2 and likely Georgia (GA has not been called yet and is likely headed to a recount); while Trump flipped Maine-2. Joe Biden has received the highest number of votes of any presidential candidate in the history of the United States (75,624,101 so far) with Donald Trump receiving the second-highest number of votes ever (71,225,055 so far). Votes continue to be counted. An estimated 66.4 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot (that number will likely increase as votes continue to be counted), which is the highest voter turnout since 1900. It’s important to note here that in 1900 when 73.7 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, women were still not allowed to vote. On the minds of Americans & how the presidential vote broke down: • Trump won 32 percent of Latino voters and 12 percent of Black voters. Compare that to Trump's 28 percent among Latinos and

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020 7

WASHINGTON UPDATE

compete in a run-off election on January 5, 2021. If Republicans win one of those races, they will get the 51 seats needed to control the Senate. If Democrats win both, that brings the Senate to a 50-50 split, which means Democrats will control the Senate as soon-to-be Vice President Kamala Harris, as president of the Senate, will cast the 51st vote. So for the next two months, all eyes will be on Georgia as we await one last election of the 2020 cycle. House of Representatives As of this writing, the Democrats will retain control of the House of Representatives, but with a smaller majority. Republicans look like they will gain 10 seats taking the balance of the House from 235 200 to 225-210. So, What's Next? The “Lame Duck” Session of Congress Congress has come back into session following the election and will need to conclude its work to keep the government funded into next year and do so before current appropriations expire onDecember 11, 2020. Senate and House leaders have both expressed a possibility that they could complete action on the FY 2021 appropriations bills, but it remains more likely with Biden’s win that there will be a continuing resolution to continue government spending at current levels through early 2021. Congress will also look to pass the National Defense Authorization Act before this current Even though Republicans are likely to control the Senate after the January 5th, 2021, Georgia run-offs, a BidenWhite House will have a Democratic House to work with on a series of key proposals. The fate of those bills in the Senate, however, will be completely up in the air. There will also be a number of executive actions President Biden will take. Here are a few likely examples of the legislative proposals and executive orders: Federal COVIDResponse (legislation) Expect a robust Federal response to the COVID crisis to be announced during the Presidential transition. We also expect that Biden will propose legislation that would be debated and passed in the House shortly after the January 20th inauguration. This package would likely reflect much of what the House passed in its $3.4 trillion HEROES Act from May 2020, and also including other sector-specific priorities (restaurant and hospitality funding and airlines support). The Senate GOP majority will of course play a big part in determining the scope and size of any final legislation with a much smaller package than Democrats passed in the House and with the addition of some important Republican priorities such as liability protection. Rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement (executive order) In August of 2017, President Trump stated his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. On November 4, 2020, the Trump administration formally withdrew from the Paris Climate accord as expected and President Biden will reverse congressional session ends on January 2, 2021. The First 100 Days of the Biden Administration

that in some way very soon after being sworn in (possibly on inauguration day). Policing Reform/Voting Rights (legislation) The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 7120) earlier this summer. This House bill will serve as a foundation for a new policing bill in 2021. In addition, the recently renamed John Lewis Voting Rights Act (H.R. 4) would be another candidate for early action in 2021. The House passed H.R. 4 last December. The legislation would restore a key part of the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court struck down in 2013. Senate Republicans may want to engage with a Biden White House and House Democrats on policing reform and secure some agreed upon compromise building on the work of Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and expect Vice President Kamala Harris to take a leadership role in this effort. Executive Order Package to Roll Back Trump Administration Deregulatory Efforts President Trump signed a record 24 executive orders during his first 100 days in office. It is likely that President Biden will take similar action to immediately roll back much of the previous administration’s policies. These will likely address large and diverse areas of concern for Democrats. Biden has already stated that he will roll back hundreds of rules and regulations established by the Trump Administration – many addressing public health, the environment and ethics. Here is just a sample of some of the executive actions Biden has mentioned during the campaign that we can expect to be dealt with in late January and February: • Reinstate an Obama era executive order that penalized federal contractors that pursued anti-union campaigns and did not pay their workers at least a $15 per hour. • Withdraw President Trump’s travel ban executive order. • Rejoin the World Health Organization. • Repealing liability protection for gun manufacturers. • Requiring aggressive methane pollution limits for oil and gas operations. • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by preserving and implementing the Clean Air Act and developing rigorous new fuel economy standards. • Protecting biodiversity, slowing extinction rates, and helping leverage natural climate solutions by conserving 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030. • Protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other areas impacted by President Trump’s policies on federal lands and waters. Beyond the First 100 Days – The Biden Agenda and Forging Industry Priorities Tax With a likely Republican Senate, it will be difficult for Biden tomake wholesale changes to the tax code. But count on him to propose tax reforms as a way to pay for other policy priorities with high price

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WASHINGTON UPDATE

tags (namely an infrastructure initiative). And what would those recommendations look like? Biden has been quite clear that he would look to roll back the 2018 corporate tax cuts to change the rate from 21 to 28 percent, while also going back to the top marginal rate of 39.6 percent for individuals (the current top marginal tax rate for individuals is 37 percent). Infrastructure Vice President Biden has often referred to New Deal-like policies to tackle infrastructure challenges and put people back to work. With a narrower House Democratic majority and Republican Senate, these aspirations are going to be scaled back but are still possible in some form. He would like to implement a $2 trillion infrastructure plan spread over four years that is focused on stimulating the economy while also addressing climate change. In addition to substantial investment in traditional infrastructure projects like roads and bridges, other tenants of the plan include bringing back the successful “Cash for Clunkers” program that was launched in 2009 as a result of the 2008 financial crisis to encourage Americans to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles, the construction of 500,000 electric charging stations, and setting an ambitious goal of having American-made public transportation buses emit zero emissions by 2030. It is likely that enhanced broadband build-out, particularly in rural areas, will be included. Trade Aside from the USMCA passing in Congress earlier this year, much of what the Trump administration has done on trade has been done by executive order. So in theory, these executive actions could be rolled back. However, throughout his campaign, Biden was noticeably silent on what he would do in this space and so we will be in wait and see mode as to what, if anything, a Biden administration would do with current tariffs. So, We Really are a NationDivided -What Does It All Mean? If you’re a Democrat, the results of the November election show that many of the idealistic and more bold progressive policies that we assumed a Democratic Washington would pursue are now off the table. While Democrats will have control on the House for the 117th Congress and a favorable map for 2022 Senate races, the results show that there are still deep divisions in our country andDemocrats need to tread carefully over the next 24 months in order to maintain their majority in the 2022 midterms. If you’re a Republican, one can argue that the elections showed that Trumpism is alive and well, even though Trump himself lost. So what to do? Work with a new Democratic Biden administration on economic recovery priorities like COVID relief, trade and infrastructure? Or do you look to push back and not allow legislative action to reach the desk of newly sworn-in President Biden? With a tough Senate map in 2022 where Republicans could lose seats, but with a favorable map where they could regain the House of Representatives, these debates will likely be raging within the Republican conference over the next several weeks before a new

Congress convenes on January 6, 2021, and President Biden is sworn in on January 20, 2021. Meanwhile, the COVID pandemic still rages across every state with each passing day bringing new records. Ten million folks have now contracted the virus, with nearly 250,000 lives lost. And both of those numbers grow daily. There has been positive news about possible vaccines, but the final approval of one vaccine, much less the few needed, is still a while away. And we haven’t even discussed how long deployment would take. Bottom-line, COVID is with us for the foreseeable future and our government will have to act not just for the sake of the health of Americans, but for the health of the American economy. Will a dividedWashington come together? We’ll see. Let’s hope. ■

Steve Haro is Principal at Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas and can be reached at sharo@mc-dc.com

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020 9

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MATERIALS

The Fundamentals of Grain Flow in Die Steel By Nick Cerwin and Benjamin Ritchey

As a forger, you are no doubt familiar with the concept of grain flow in the products you forge. Are you aware that your forging dies also have a grain flow? Grain flow in die steel is relevant to the forging process because the fracture characteristics of a die block differ with respect to the grain direction. This can have serious consequences for die performance. So, what then is grain flow in a die? Can it be aligned in a way that avoids overlaying known or anticipated crack-prone areas of a die impression with the weakest direction of a die block? The beginning of grain flow starts with ingot solidification when long, finger-like grains develop as the liquid metal cools and transforms to the fundamental crystalline structure of iron. Initially, many small, individual grains are nucleated as the liquid steel is quickly chilled upon contact with the mold. However, this relatively thin ingot skin transitions to grain formation governed by a greatly reduced cooling rate as solidification progresses deeper into the ingot. The decelerated cooling rate favors the development of elongated, continuous, finger-like, radially aligned grains called dendrites. The dendrites usually reach mid-radius of an ingot where falling temperatures once again favor the development of smaller, mostly equiaxed grains in the core region. A die block in this cast condition would offer long, unimpeded crack paths once a crack aligns with the dendritic direction. Fracture toughness in this case would be very low, and unacceptable for die service. The unfavorable characteristics of as-cast grain structure is the reason why ingots destined for die service undergo open-die forging. The thermomechanical working of the ingot in the forging process breaks the large, as-cast grains into smaller, equiaxed grains. Subsequent heat treatments of die blocks further refine the grain size to small and mostly equiaxed grains, which are desirable conditions that minimize any impact of the original cast grain directionality. Concurrent with grain development during solidification, micro sized nonmetallic impurities agglomerate to form larger particles that establish the base micro-cleanliness of the steel. These particles, which are predominantly oxides of aluminum and silicon as well as manganese sulfides, are mostly globular in the as-cast ingot. During the forging of the ingot, these nonmetallic inclusions are also deformed and elongated. Whereas the dendritic grains are changed through the forging and recrystallization processes to end as equiaxed grains in the finished product, nonmetallic inclusions begin as largely globular shapes and end as elongated “stringers” that can be rated according to their frequency and overall length. It is this presence of elongated nonmetallic inclusions in steel that creates the grain flow character of wrought steel, not the actual grains!

Another contributing factor in developing grain flow characteristics is alloy segregation. For die steel, alloy contents are higher than most popular engineering steels, and thus tend to experience a higher degree of alloy segregation. During ingot solidification, the developing dendritic grains attempt to expel any atoms that do not exactlyfit into the growing crystalline lattice.This includes unwanted impurities as well as metallurgically beneficial atoms such as carbon, manganese and chromium. The result is a slight enrichment of alloy and impurities in the inter-dendritic spaces, and a slight depletion of alloys and impurities within the dendrites themselves. Forging the ingot works mainly to orient such segregation to the product length direction. Subsequent thermal processing promotes some mitigation through diffusion along concentration gradients, but varying degrees of microsegregation usually remain and may manifest in etched microstructures as “banding”. A crack propagating in a direction parallel to banding will follow the path of least resistance, advancing along the negatively segregated plane which has reduced strength. In contrast, a crack oriented across the banding will encounter alternating strength levels and require an overall increase in energy to propagate. Therefore, a noticeable grain effect to fracture toughness arises from the presence of microsegregation. Because forging dies experience tri-axial stress, the ideal die steel would have a complete absence of any grain flow characteristics, exhibiting equal fracture toughness in all directions. Die steel manufacturers work toward this goal by employing melting and forging procedures that significantly reduce grain flow disparities in forging dies. • Vacuum degassing: Degassing liquid steel under vacuum removes most of the oxygen, thereby reducing the presence of oxide inclusions that create grain flow effects when elongated. A secondary process occurring under an extended vacuum cycle is a significant reduction in sulfur content. Sulfur is present in steel as MnS, a highly ductile compound at forging temperatures that forms stringer-like inclusions that contribute strongly to grain flow effects. • Sulfide morphology control through calcium injection: By modifying the sulfide compound to a CaMnS-type, the compound is strengthened, thus reducing the amount it elongates during forging. With a more globular shape retained for remaining sulfides, their contribution to a grain flow effect is reduced. • Upset forging of the ingot: By standing a heated ingot upright and compressing it to half-height, a forge reduction ratio of 2:1 is affected. Turning the ingot to then

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020 12

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY MATERIALS

forge back to the starting shape effects another 2:1 forging reduction. This 4:1 degree of forge work is sufficient to eliminate the ingot dendritic condition with essentially no net deformation to inclusions, avoiding grain flow effects from elongation. • Very tight temperature control during pouring (teeming) of the ingot: By using theminimum temperature necessary to ensure a properly solidifying ingot, any excess heat that extends the solidification time is avoided. Quicker solidification reduces segregation effects and minimizes grain flow effects from banding. Implementing these metallurgical processes in the manufacture of die steel significantly reduces grain flow effects, and greatly improves the overall strength of dies. The next article will offer some quantitative evidence of improved die strength from these procedures and note strategies for reducing grain flow effects on vulnerable cracking areas in dies and peripheral equipment. ■

Nick Cerwin

Benjamin Ritchey

Nick Cerwin is the retired Director of Technical Services at Finkl Steel. Benjamin Ritchey is the Technical Director for Finkl Steel and can be reached at BRitchey@Finkl.com.

Transverse CVN

Longitudinal CVN

Grain Flow Direction

Photomicrograph at 200X original magnification of actual MnS inclusions in steel elongated in the grain flow direction. If the concentration of such inclusions is high, the mechanical properties can be adversely affected in the transverse direction. The overlaid Charpy V-notch test bars (not to scale) provide an exaggerated example of how these inclusions would be expected to influence impact strength: in the transverse orientation, the elongated inclusions align with the direction of crack propagation from the V-notch, resulting in reduced impact strength. If not well controlled, nonmetallic inclusions can reduce impact strength in the transverse direction to less than one-half the longitudinal value Photomicrograph at 200X original magnification of actual MnS inclusions in steel elongated in the grain flow direction. If the concentration of such inclusions is high, the mechanical properties can be adversely affected in the transverse direction. The overlaid Charpy V-notch test bars (not to scale) provide an exaggerated example of how these inclusions would be expected to influence impact strength: in the transverse orientation, the elongated inclusions lign with the direction of crack propagation from the V notch, resulting in reduced impact strength. If not well controlled, nonmetallic inclusions can reduce impact strength in the transverse direction to less than one-half the longitudinal value.

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2020 13

MATERIALS

Welcome to the Heat Treating Corner, where we discuss practical metallurgical topics pertaining to the heat treatment of forged products. If you have questions that you would like to see answered in a future issue, please email the author at chuck.hartwig@ thermtech.net. QUESTION: Please explain why different alloys have different tempering temperatures used to achieve the same final hardness. How are tempering processes determined? This question is a great follow-up to the as-quenched hardness discussion that can be found in the immediately preceding issue of this publication. The first aspect of tempering temperatures that must be understood as a caveat to the rest of this discussion is that the selection of a tempering temperature assumes that an effective quench has occurred. This means that the hardening process employed has, in fact, achieved the expected as-quenched hardness result for the alloy under consideration. If the hardening process has not been effective (see previous Heat Treating Corner article for reasons why this may occur), the tempering response of any particular alloy will be unpredictable. This behavior presents a heat treat quality concern in and of itself. Tempering is a sub-critical (below the austenitization temperature) re-heating process that is carried out immediately after quench hardening to relieve the stress that exists in the as-quenched martensitic microstructure. Recall from previous columns that untempered martensite is an extremely high stress/high energy phase in steel that, while necessary as a waypoint in successful heat treatment, is practically dangerous to the material and would result in extremely brittle behavior or spontaneous cracking if left in untempered state. Tempering thus results in lower hardness/ strength but improved toughness and ductility. The mechanism for this change in physical properties is the heat-assisted diffusion of carbon atoms out of the martensitic atomic matrix where they were previously pinned between iron atoms. Upon diffusion, the carbon atoms join with other elements to form either iron carbide or various other alloy carbides in the microstructure that greatly enhance the toughness of the material. The diffusional reaction described above does not occur at the same rate in all alloys. In fact, there can be drastic differences in the tempering protocol even if the carbon level (and therefore as quenched hardness) is the same between different alloys. The reason for this difference across various alloys is that the energy needed to impart atomic mobility to the carbon atoms and the subsequent properties of the temper carbides varies according to the amount of certain alloys present in the material. The ability of an alloy to maintain its hardness as the tempering temperature (or service temperature) increases is often referred to as tempering resistance . The primary drivers of temper resistance (in order of potency) are Heat Treating Corner By Chuck Hartwig, P.E.

vanadium, molybdenum, phosphorous, manganese, chromium, silicon, and to a lesser extent, silicon and nickel. It should be noted that the effects of different elements will vary according to the tempering temperature and the list discussed here pertains to a tempering temperature of at least 1000°F, which is common for most hardened and tempered forgings. In practical terms then, consider two common forging steels— AISI 1045 and AISI 4140. Both are commonly heat treated to a final hardness range of 30-34 HRC. While the base carbon in these two grades is similar, it will take a tempering temperature of approximately 1100°F to draw back the hardness of 4140 to 30 34HRC, but only around 1000°F for the 1045. This difference is because 4140 contains intentional additions of molybdenum (.15- .25%) and chromium (.80-1.10%) and may have a greater level of manganese as well. The only temper resistant elements in 1045 would be silicon and a relatively low level of manganese, along with anything obtained from incidental trace amounts of other alloying elements. It should be noted that the same elements that work to increase the hardenability of steel also tend to increase the tempering resistance. The mechanism of action in both cases is similar. In both cases, the larger alloying element atoms deter the atomic mobility of carbon. In the case of tempering, formation of carbides is an additional factor at play. The selection of tempering temperatures for a given hardness level is usually a simple decision based on empirical data—either from published alloy data or internally developed process information within a heat treating operation. While selecting the desired temperature canbe a relatively straight forward exercise, it is critically important that work pieces are soaked at the prescribed tempering temperature in a uniform fashion and for a long enough time to ensure that the entire cross section of each part has been heated and held sufficiently. Recall that tempering is a diffusional process—as such, it is highly dependent on both time and temperature. Because of the time-temperature codependency in tempering, it is commonplace for tempering soak times to be longer than they are for austenitization heating prior to quenching. Additionally, because tempering temperatures are lower than austenitizing temperatures, there is less thermodynamic driving force to bring the temperature of the work pieces up to equilibrium with the ambient furnace temperature. Tempering soak times must therefore take load density and weight into account in addition to the cross section of the part in question. There are many practical design implications for heat treating equipment and departments based on this discussion. First, heat treating departments are often configured such that there is double

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MATERIALS

tempering furnace capacity as compared to hardening furnace capacity. If a heat treat operation does not have a sufficient number of tempering furnaces, it is often necessary to run hardening cycles longer than necessary in order to wait for tempering cycles to end. Second, the uniformity standards applied to tempering style furnaces are more stringent than hardening furnaces. Typically, the minimum expectation is +/-25°F throughout the work zone for an austenitizing furnace and +/- 15°F for a tempering furnace. This is because tempering is a more temperature sensitive process than is hardening and poor furnace uniformity will result in unacceptable hardness spread within a given furnace load. Whereas heating for austenitizing furnaces relies greatly on powerful radiative heat transfer when parts start glowing red above ~1200°F, tempering furnaces must rely heavily on convection style heating as the temperatures involved with tempering may result in only a dull radiative glow at best. Because they generally lack radiative transfer, it is important that tempering furnaces be designed with robust fan systems to move the heated air evenly throughout the work zone and that the burner(s) are sized adequately for the amount of weight that is typically heated in the furnace. As a final note on process capability—it is vital that the tempering temperature/time used for a given part remains relatively constant over time. Once a successful outcome has been established, it should not be necessary to vary the tempering temperature by more

than 25°F from lot to lot. While heat treaters will experience slight chemistry variations from heat to heat of material, making changes to established processes ofmore than 25°F is likely an indication of an adverse event elsewhere in the operation. Using a significantly lower tempering temperature than was necessary on previous iterations of the same part can be a warning sign that quench effectiveness has deteriorated and should be investigated immediately. ■

Chuck Hartwig is the Director of Operations for Carburizing and Batch Hardening at ThermTech in Waukesha, WI. He holds a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines.

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OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

COVID-19: Coming to the end of 2020 . . . and then what? By Johanna Fabrizio Parker

As I write this, we are 8+ months into what I think of as the day to-day impact of COVID-19. We have had quarantine and various levels of shutdowns. We’ve all learned terms such as “social distancing.” In many ways, we are no longer dealing with the daily wave of new information. There has been no new legislation specific to COVID on the federal level, and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) is set to expire on December 31. Health officials seem to have settled into safety recommendations as opposed to what seemed like the daily/weekly changing directives. But the overall theme I’m hearing (and feeling, many days) is that we want 2020 -- and all this -- to be over. We want to go back to “normal.” I can’t say if and when that happens -- no one can. But I do believe employers need to plan for “more” of all this through next year. So I wanted to take this issue to address some general questions FIA is hearing from members. Of course, this is not legal advice -- just some general thoughts as to our current environment. Please see your own counsel with specific questions. Return to the Office (or Continuing Return): 1. Can we make employees return to the office? Generally, yes. Because states and localities have been directed to take action on their own, you do need to look at where your office is and what, if any, requirements exist there. But absent some restriction, you can call employees back -- provided that you do so in a uniform, non-discriminatory manner. You should also have a

process where employees can make requests for accommodations. As of now, I don’t know that your legal requirements with respect to the duty to accommodate have changed, but practically employers seem to have a greater obligation to have these conversations and make these individual assessments. 2. Can I prevent a “high-risk” employee from returning? No. If an employee wants to return, and you have employees returning or at work, I would not prevent that employee from doing so. Rather, I would address any safety concerns for him or her in the same manner as you do for other employees. 3. For those who have not returned, is there an anticipated return date? No. So much of it depends on your own business needs and your geography. Also, while some schools have reopened (or reopened in a hybrid model), I think we all have to anticipate changes as we see more cases and community spread. And, of course, many employees are parents, so employers will have to address those situations in some way. I continue to believe that if your goal is to have employees (or some employees) back in the office, you should set an anticipated return date and continue to evaluate that return date and let employees know.

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cannot know what they do. Do they follow the safety guidelines? Do they wear masks? Do they attend crowded events? Now, I wouldn’t lead with this fact in talking to other employees - but I mention it because I think it’s important to remember what is, and is not, within an employer’s control. Your best response is to have a policy about employee safety specific to COVID, including having employees not come to work if they are sick and specific requirements in the workplace (e.g., social distancing, no large meetings, etc.). Protection, if any, is at the state level. In Ohio, for example, there is legislation barring all civil actions which are based “in whole or in part” on “injury, death, or loss to person or property” caused by “exposure to, or the transmission or contraction of” COVID-19.The sole limitation is that the legislation’s immunizing effect does not apply where the exposure to, or transmission or contraction of, the disease was caused by “reckless conduct or intentional misconduct or willful or wanton misconduct. . . .” For more information, see: https://www.beneschlaw.com/resources/ohio-governor-mike dewine-signs-legislation-granting-broad-immunity-from-lawsuits relating-to-covid-19-transmission.html 2. What about making employees sign release agreements? I would say no. First, such releases may not be enforceable -- what is the consideration for the release? Can you legitimately release future claims? Second, workplace injuries should fall under the workers’ compensation system. Now, I understand that this presents its own set of issues for employers, but it is a potential bar to other civil actions. Finally, requiring employees to sign a release in the middle of a pandemic can hurt employee morale and lead to the suspicion that you, as the employer, are not taking reasonable steps to keep your employees safe. 3. Any expected new legislation? On the federal level, and with the election, I don’t think anyone can predict. Some states are enacting new and/or additional sick leave laws (e.g., California and New York). And, as earlier mentioned, the FFCRA expires on December 31, 2020. As that deadline approaches, I would not be surprised if some in Congress advocate for extending the FFCRA. ■ Employer Liability/Obligations: 1. Any updates as to employer liability?

4. What about temperature checks? Should they continue? Are there any specific requirements? I would say yes, temperature checks should continue. I understand that somemembers have set up and assembled their own temperature check stations. There is no “one size fits all” in terms of how you take and/or monitor employee temperatures -- so long as you provide for the safety of those involved in the checks. Practically, I also think you should do some spot checks tomake sure that your thermometer is accurately measuring temperatures -- i.e., not registering the exact same temperature for all employees or registering obviously wrong temperatures. 5. Any other generally accepted safety checks? Requiring masks and maintaining six feet of separation between employees whenever possible. But, if you mean safety screens upon coming to work, I would say -- only a review of the COVID symptoms listed on the CDC website and inquiry as to whether that employee is experiencing any. You are permitted to do COVID testing to see whether an individual tests positive, but practically, either the lack of available testing or the delayed results make this option limited if not meaningless. You cannot test for COVID antibodies -- that is a prohibited medical test. Employee Travel: 1. Can we require employees to travel for work? Yes. If travel is part of an employee’s job and there are no state/ local prohibitions, the travel industry is up and running with safety precautions. But: (a) I would set up some mechanism for employees to bring any travel-related concerns so you can hear and address them, if possible; and (b) some states have quarantine requirements upon return. 2. What about employee vacations to “hotspots”? I am generally opposed to prohibiting employees from personal travel and vacation -- and it’s for practical reasons. I can’t believe you can or will know everyone’s plans so any policy or practice just can’t be applied to everyone. Plus, you have significant morale issues. But, I do think you can inquire as to an employee’s personal travel plans, and require quarantine upon return -- if the requirement is applied to all. For example, Ohio has a travel advisory to certain states (updated weekly). You could use that as a basis for your quarantine policy, i.e., if you travel to a restricted area you must quarantine upon return. The challenge here is that you’ll likely end up impacting certain groups of your employees more negatively. Exempt office workers likely will be able to work remotely during any quarantine, but non-exempt production workers likely can’t. For those employees, you could allow them to use other paid time off or provide the time off unpaid. But, given the potential negative impact, uniform enforcement and advance notice are essential. 3. What about other employees who are concerned when co workers travel? The reality is that, once employees step outside your facilities, you

Johanna Fabrizio Parker is a partner in Benesch's labor and employment group. Her practice involves representing and counseling management clients in a wide range of complex employment matters, including claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation brought under federal and state law, as well as wage and hour claims, and matters involving noncompetition agreements and trade secrets. She can be reached at jparker@beneschlaw.com.

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