Analysis of the drop forging of a piston using Slip-Line Fields and FEM

The paper analyses the process of a forging piston-type product. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to determine the forging loads and the kinematics of metal flow during the press forming process analysed. The Slip-Line Field Method (SLFM) is used to obtain a simplified solution. This helps to determine the distribution of material-tool contact pressures which is the basis for computing the forging load. The results from both methods were verified experimentally and good agreement was obtained. In addition a comparison is made between the forging load values obtained in the present study and those given by selected equations from the literature.