Advances in Manufacturing ›› 2015, Vol. 3 ›› Issue (4): 269-281.doi: 10.1007/s40436-015-0127-0

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Dual phase titanium alloy hot forging process design: experiments and numerical modeling

A. Ducato1, G. Buffa2, L. Fratini1, R. Shivpuri2   

  1. 1 Department of Chemical, Management, Computer and Mechanical Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy;
    2 Integrated Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University, 1971 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
  • Received:2015-02-27 Revised:2015-10-29 Online:2015-12-25 Published:2015-11-28
  • Contact: A. Ducato E-mail:antonino.ducato@unipa.it

Abstract: Titanium alloys are considered desirable materials when both good mechanical properties and weight reduction are required at the same time. This class of materials is widely used in those fields (aeronautics, aerospace) in which common steels and light-weight materials, e.g., aluminum alloys, are not able to satisfy all operative service conditions. During the last decade, forging of titanium alloys has attracted greater attention from both industrial and scientific/academic researchers because of their potential in providing a near net shaped part with minimal need for machining. In this paper, a numerical model of the forging sequences for a Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy aerospace component is presented. The model was tested and validated against experimental forgings. The model is then applied to predict loads final microstructure and defects of an aeronautical component. In addition to metal flow and die stresses, microstructural transformations (α and β phases) are considered for the determination of proper process parameters. It is found that transformation from α/β to b phase during forging and reverse transformations in post-forge cooling needs to be considered in the computational model for reasonable prediction of forging loads and product properties.

Key words: Finite element method (FEM), Ti-6Al-4V, Hot forging, Phase prediction