November 2023 Volume 5

FORGING RESEARCH

Assessing Deviations from Flow Stress Models at the Extremes of the Aluminum Forging Range University of Cincinnati Industry Partner: Queen City Forging The goal of this project is to train two undergraduate research assistants under the guidance of a team of three UC metallurgical faculty (Dr. Matt Steiner, Dr. Eric Payton, and Dr. Chris Calhoun) to run compression tests on a Gleeble 3500 thermomechanical testing system to analyze the strain rate sensitivity, via strain rate jump testing, and establish the conversion of mechanical work into heat to characterize the variation in mechanical work partitioning and adiabatic correction factors in aluminum alloy 2618. The incorporation of functions for these parameters will then be compared to the effect of assuming the parameters are constant in flow stress modeling, in the context of a finite element process model The goal of this project is to build a 50-ton hydraulic press suitable for improved forging education and research purposes. This increase in capacity is critically needed to allow us to expand our research to include steel closed-die forgings. Design, procurement, and assembly of the press will be performed by Ross Crowley with the aid of one or more undergraduate students. Numerical Modeling of Tooling Improvements for Forging Processes Lehigh University Industry Partners: Scientific Forming Technologies & Universal Stainless The goal of this project is to increase the life of hot forging tooling by applying TiC-reinforced Inconel 625 coating via the selective laser melting process on the H-13 tool steel. Based on the already performed and ongoing experimental studies supported by FIERF the Lehigh team plans to apply the materials models built in ongoing research to DEFORM 3-D platform and perform numerical simulation of pressing and hammering processes to evaluate the new coatings optimizing their chemical compositions (amount of reinforcement) and thickness. Strong participation of the FIA member companies is expected to assist the Lehigh team in selecting the chemical composition of the part as well as its geometry. This will lead to the next stage of investigations with industrial trials of new proposed tooling and its comprehensive evaluation. of material flow during closed-die forging. 50-ton Forging Demonstration/ Experimental Press Build Marquette University Industry Partners: Walker Forge & Estwing

Tracking Non-Metallic Inclusions During Primary and Secondary Melting Carnegie Mellon University Industry Partner: Universal Stainless The goal of this project is to assess the relationship between vacuum arc remelt (VAR) process monitoring signals and non-metallic inclusions after VAR remelting. The monitoring signals will come from the 2013 R&D 100 award VARmetric system developed by industrial partner Ampere Scientific that can continuously monitor position of the arc during re-melting. The inclusion analyses will be conducted using automated scanning electron microscopy/ energy dispersive spectroscopy methods. Data analysis methods will investigate relationships between inclusions and VARmetric process data. Creating Ohio State’s First Forging Club with Focus on Forging Future Ohio State University Industry Partners: Tkach Metal Forming Consultants & Scientific Forming Technologies The goal of this project is to teach the fundamentals of emergent forging technology to the founding officers of a new ‘Future of Forging’ club at Ohio State University. Students will learn basic skills in open-die forging from a local blacksmith, transfer their new knowledge to simulation on DEFORM-3D, and translate those simulations into forgings on HAMMER’s Robotic Incremental Forming cell. For more information on these and other FIERF funded research grants, please contact Amanda Dureiko, Senior Manager Foundation & Workforce Development, at amanda@forging. org or call the foundation at 216-781-6260.

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2023 79