Influence of Forging Process on Titanium Forgings
Titanium is a light metal that is widely used in aircraft, automobiles, ships and other industries due to its high strength, low density, excellent corrosion resistance and high heat resistance. It is difficult to weld and is usually used for forging. Therefore, the forging process is crucial for the quality of titanium forgings.
The forging process of titanium has many particular characteristics. First, the atmospheric environment has a great influence on the grains of titanium forgings. Titanium forgings produced in a humid environment tend to form a coarser grain size, while in a dry environment the grain size will be finer. Secondly, titanium forgings should be heated quickly to maintain its titanium characteristics; therefore, high temperature induction heating furnace is required for heated forging. Thirdly, since titanium has a high ductility machining allowance of titanium forgings should be increased 10 to 20 percent during processing. Also, titanium forgings require good surface preparation in order to provide better service performance.
The forging process also affects the mechanical properties of titanium. Firstly, the forging process increases the strength and hardness of titanium forgings. This is mainly due to the fine grain size resulting from the forging process, which increases the strength of titanium significantly. Secondly, the plasticity of titanium can be improved by correctly controlling the deformation temperature, deformation speed and deformation amount during the forging process. Thirdly, forging can improve the impact toughness of titanium. Fourthly, forging can eliminate defects on the surface of titanium forgings, such as cracks and inclusions, which can improve the bearing capacity of titanium forgings.
In addition, the forging process can also improve the fatigue properties of titanium forgings. The fine grain size resulting from forging process can reduce the internal stress of titanium material and improve its fatigue strength, fatigue limit and fatigue life.
Forging process also affects the quality of titanium forgings. During the forging process, titanium is subjected to high temperature and pressure, and inclusions or grain boundary cohesion easily occur. The occurrence of inclusions or grain boundary cohesion may lead to porosity, which can slightly affect the strength or toughness of titanium forgings.
Therefore, it is important to correctly choose the best forging process for titanium forgings in order to maximize its performance. The best forging process should be based on the properties and characteristics of titanium material and the requirements of end product. Besides, it is essential to accurately control the forging temperature, deformation speed, deformation amount and other technical parameters so as to ensure the best quality of titanium forgings.
