November 2023 Volume 5

FORGING RESEARCH

The Forging Foundation (FIERF) annually awards grants to advance the science of forging and to engage students and professors in industry-relevant research. The FIERF Board of Trustees has implemented the use of a Stage-Gate Process to manage industry research projects over $10,000 or one year in length. Grant requests of less than $10,000 and one year in length may complete a Micro-Grant application. Industry participation FIERF Research Grants & Project Updates

Friction Stir Processing as a Manufacturing Pathway for Forging Preforms Colorado School of Mines Industry Partner: Queen City Forging The goal of this project is to determine the feasibility of using friction stir processing to create bulk samples of high-temperature aluminum alloys that can be used as forging pre-forms. Currently, these alloys can only be processed via rapid solidification, which precludes the manufacture of bulk samples. Metamorphic Manufacturing Colorado School of Mines Industry Partner: Queen City Forging The goal of this project is to show that Metamorphic Manufacturing (MM) is a potential pathway for the production of low-volume, performance-critical components. To do this, we will show that incremental deformation pathways enable unprecedented geometry and microstructure control, which are inaccessible to traditional deformation methods. The use of incremental forging results in previously unexamined deformation pathways, which means we have less understanding of microstructure and property evolution as a function of processing. These smaller, localized deformation increments, however, result in great opportunity to create desired microstructures at various locations within a component. If we can better understand microstructure evolution during complex imposed deformation sequences, we will not only make custom component geometries, but will also design those components to have improved performance. Preform Design for Flash-less Die Forging The goal of this study is to develop preform design schemes for flash less die forging featuring 2D (axisymmetric and plane strain) and 3D problems. The schemes will be developed for use in conjunction with point tracking function in DEFORM 2D and 3D software packages. The mapping schemes are expected to contain algorithms for data transformation between DEFORM simulations and a CAD program. in the form of industry representatives and/or partners is required for funding. The following is a compilation of the current projects being funded by FIERF. North Carolina State University Industry Partner: Cornell Forge

Non-Metallic Inclusion Evolution During Vacuum Processing of Steel Carnegie Mellon University Industry Partner: Universal Stainless The goal of this project is to study the changes that occur to non metallic inclusions during vacuum induction melting (VIM) and vacuum arc remelting (VAR). Previous work has shown large inclusions containing elements such as Ca, Al, and Si can become entrained in VAR ingots. The VAR process can effectively remove small non-metallic inclusions, but large (100s of micrometers diameter) can persist in the melt pool and become entrained in the solid. Investigation of Decarburization of Steel on Forgings The goal of this project is to study and characterize decarburized layer of oxidized steel samples provided by SIFCO industries. This analysis will help to select proper surface engineering treatment in order to prevent decarburization during preheating of forging billet. Benchmarking Ergonomic Issues in the Forging Industry The goal of this project is to benchmark injury risk within the forging industry by reviewing safety statistics provided by the Forging Industry Association, reviewing safety data provided by SIFCO, conducting on-site assessments of individuals who have sustained an injury of the upper extremity, collecting biomechanical data (kinematics and kinetics) pertaining to a task that has been associated with repetitive movement disorders, and then creating a biomechanical model of the upper extremity to ascertain muscle and joint loads during the task being analyzed. This model will be matched to the gender and size of the most commonly injured worker. The overall goal of this exercise is to determine baseline conditions for a common injury, with the long-term objective of either modifying the task or the tool(s) used. Cleveland State University Industry Partner: SIFCO Cleveland State University Industry Partner: SIFCO

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2023 77