Chapter Five

Forging of Metals
Objective: To understand the concept of the bulk deformation processes in metal
working using forging process. This chapter describes the open-die forging, impression
forging, flashless forging and other deformation process related to forging.
14.1 Introduction:
Forging is a process so that the workpiece is shaped by compression force applied
through various dies and tooling. The forging process can be cold or hot forging. In cold
forging (at room temperature), the process required high force because of high strength of
metal and the material must be sufficient ductile at the room temperature in order to
deform. During the cold forging, good surface finishing and dimensional accuracy are
produced. While in hot forging (at elevated temperature) the material required low force
because the metal is very ductile but the surface finishing and the dimensional accuracy is
less than that in cold forging.
14.2 Forging types
There are three different types of forging:
1- Open-Die forging
The simple case of open-die forging involves compression of a work part of cylindrical
cross section between two flat dies in order to reduce the height of the work piece and
increases its diameter as shown in figure (14.1). There are five different types of open-die
forging:
a) Uniform deformation without friction: reduce height and increases the diameter
as shown in figure (14.1a).
b) Barreling or Pan caking: The deformation has barreling shape due to friction as
in figure (14.1b)
c) Cogging: Work part moves translation or rotates in order to reduce the work
part thickness or diameter as in figure (14.1 c).
d) Fullering: is a forging operation performed to reduce the cross section and
redistribute the metal in the workpart in preparation for subsequent shape forging.
It is accomplished by dies with convex surfaces as in figure (14.1 d).

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 e) Edging: is similar to fullering except that the dies have concave surfaces. This
operation is gathered the metal in the workpart. It is accomplished by dies with
concave surfaces as in figure (14.1 e).
The open die forging has advantages since it is simple process, inexpensive, wide range
of part size and good strength characteristics. On the other hand the disadvantages of this
process are the process is limited to simple shapes, difficult to get close tolerance,
machining to final shape is required, low production rate and used for small quantity.
Force analysis
Forging force F in an open-die forging operation on solid cylindrical work piece is equal
to

F=
2
Y f ( π )(r f ) 1+
[ 2 μ(r f )
3 hf ] (14.1)
Where Yf is the flow stress to continue plastic deformation, rf is the final radius of the
deformation and hf is the final height.

Y f =kε n (14.2)
Where k, n are the material constant see table (13.1) and ε is the true strain = ln (h o/hf) see
figure (13.9)

Example 1
304 stainless steel solid cylinder has 150 mm in diameter and 100 mm height. It is
reduced by 50% in height by open die forging at room temperature. Assume friction
coefficient is 0.2 calculate the forging force.
Solution
The final height is reduced 50%, then the final height hf = 100/2 = 50 mm
From volume continuity Vo = Vf
π ( r 2 )( ho )=π ( r 2f )( hf )
o

π (75 )2 (100)=π (r 2f )(50) rf = 106 mm

True strain ε = ln(ho/hf) = ln(100/50) = 0.69
From table 13.1 the material constants K = 1275 MPa, n = 0.45
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 Yf = Kεn = 1275 (0.69)0.45 = 1079 MPa
Substitute in equation 14.1

F=
[
(1079)(10 6 )(π )(0 .106 )2 1 +
3(0 . 05) ]
2(0 .2 )(0 .106 )
= 45 MN = 5000 ton

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2- Impression-Die Forging
- Impression-die forging performed with dies that contain the inverse of the desired shape
of the part.
- The workpiece takes the shape of the die cavity while being forging between two
shaped dies.
- The process normally at elevated temperature in order to increase the metal ductility so
that decreases the forging force.
- As the die closes to its final position, flash is formed by metal that flow beyond the die
cavity and into the small gap (Gutter) between the die plates. Although this flash must be
cut away from the part, it serves an important function during forging operation. Since it
cools quickly against the die plates, increase the compression pressure of the metal inside
the cavity which force the material to fill the cavity or to fill sometimes intricate details
of the die cavity to ensure a high quality product as shown in figure (14.2)
- If the workpart has complex shape, then more die inserts are required to get the required
complex cavity as in figure (14.3).

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Force analysis:
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The maximum force required in impression-die forging operation is given by
F = KYfA (14.3)
Where, K is the forging shape factor given in table 14.1, Y f is the flow stress of the
material and A is the projection area of the part including flash.

3- Closed-die forging (Flashless forging)

In this process, the raw workpart is completely contained within the die cavity during
compression and no flash is formed as shown in figure (14.4). The name flashless since
no flash is formed.
In flashless forging, the workpiece volume must equal the space in the die cavity within
very close tolerance. If the volume of the workpart is very large, excessive pressure may
cause damage to the die or the press. If the workpart is very small, the cavity will not be
filled. In addition to control of cavity volume, more requirement are required during this
process such as accurate position of the workpiece inside the die cavity, high force
required than the previous processes and more insert dies are needed.

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14.3 Forging operation applications
1- Coining: application of closed-die forging. The process required good surface finish
and dimensional accuracy as shown in figure (14.5a)
2- Heading: a deformation in which a cylindrical part is increase in diameter and reduces
in length. It is used in fasteners and bolt industry to form bolt heads. There are limits in
amount of deformation that can be achieved the heading operation. The maximum length
that can be forging is less than three times the diameter in order to prevent buckling or
bending in the workpart as shown in figure (14.5 b)
3- Piercing: The process is used to make indentation on the surface of the specimen as
indentation of the head of the bolt. The piercing force depend on the cross-section are of
the punch force, material strength and friction at the sliding interface. As in figure (14.5c)
4- Hubbing: Pressing hardened punch with particular tip geometry into a surface to
produce a cavity so that it can be used as a mold cavity for plastic molding and die
casting as shown in figure (14.5 d). The hubbing force
F = 3 σu Aproj (14.4)
Where σu is the ultimate tensile strength of the material, A proj is the projection area of the
cavity.
5- Rotary Swaging (Swaging and radial forging): It is a process used to reduce the
diameter of a tube or solid rod. Swaging is often performed on the end of the workpiece
to create tapered section. In swaging the dies is rotates so that they hammered the
workpiece radially inward to taper it as the piece is fed into the die as shown in figure
(14.5e). A mandrel is used to control the shape and the size of the internal diameter of the
tube. Radial forging is similar to swaging but the difference is that in radial fringing the
die is fixed (not rotate around the piece) instead the workpart is rotated as it feed into the
hammering dies.

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