Effect of the Heating Temperature of a Nickel-Chromium Steel Charge Material on the Stability of the Forging Process and the Durability of the Die

The study discusses the issues of low durability of dies used in the first operation of producing a valve type forging from high nickel steel assigned for the application in motor truck engines. The analyzed process of manufacturing the exhaust valve forgings is realized in the coextrusion technology, followed by forging in closed dies. This process is difficult to master, mainly due to elevated adhesion of the charge material (high nickel steel – NCF3015) to the tool substrate as well as very high abrasive wear of the tool, most probably caused by the dissolution of hard carbide precipitates during the charge heating. A big temperature scatter of the charge during the heating and its short presence in the inductor prevents microstructure homogenization of the bearing roller and dissolution of hard precipitates. In effect, this causes an increase of the forging force and the pressures in the contact, which, in extreme cases, is the cause of the blocking of the forging already at the beginning of the process. In order to analyze this issue, complex investigations were conducted, which included: numerical modelling, dilatometric tests and hardness measurements. The microstructure examinations after the heating process pointed to lack of structure repeatability; the dilatometric tests determined the phase transformations, and the FEM results enabled an analysis of the process for different charge hardness values. On the basis of the conducted analyzes, it was found that the batch material heating process was not repeatable, because the collected samples showed a different amount of dissolved carbides in the microstructure, which translated into different hardnesses (from over 300 HV to 192 HV). Also, the results of numerical modeling showed that lower charge temperature translates into greater forces (by about 100 kN) and normal stresses (1000 MPa for the nominal process and 1500 MPa for a harder charge) and equivalent stresses in the tools (respectively: 1300 MPa and over 1800 MPa), as well as abrasive wear (3000 MPa mm; 4500 MPa mm). The obtained results determined the directions of further studies aiming at improvement of the production process and thus increase of tool durability.