Forging of a Hollow Ball Using a Deformable Insert Assembly

The paper presents selected results of numerical analysis and experimental verification. The subject is the analysis of cold forging of a thin-walled hollow ball. The process of making a ball out of aluminum alloy and steel is considered. A distinctive feature of this process is the use of a special deformable insert assembly. It consists of two shaped expanding tubes, a distance ring and a centering tube. Each of these elements has a specific function, which is characterized in this article. FEA simulation allowed proving the functionality of the insert assembly and comparing the cold forging of a steel and aluminum part, using the same inserts. Attention was also focused on the impact of the accuracy of the positioning of the insert assembly. Experimental verification confirmed the correctness of the modeling and complemented the results from FEA analysis.