Design of forging dies for forming flashless ring gear blanks using finite element methods

In the forging industry today, advanced mathematical techniques such as finite element methods (FEM) are beginning to revolutionize the conventional trial-and-error methods for die design and forging process development. Cost reduction programs are being implemented to enable the forging industry to remain competitive in today’s market. Material reduction or weight savings in the quantity of metal required to make the forged part is proving to be a significant factor contributing to cost reduction. Production of ring gear blanks without producing flash reduces the input weight of metal needed to make the gear blank, thus providing cost savings on the forged part. The following paper discusses different approaches currently used to make flashless ring gear blanks. The paper also describes the application of the rigid-viscoplastic finite element code “ALPID,” developed by Battelle Labs, Ohio, in developing a hot forging process to produce flashless ring gear blanks. The metal flow simulations, using ALPID, provide a tool to design and develop die cavities for defect-free closed die forging processes for making flashless ring gear blanks. The forming loads from these simulations are then applied to the forging die and the stresses on the die analyzed using another FEM based stress analysis package (“IDEAS,” developed by SDRC, Ohio) to verify the die design for strength in the given application. Thus, finite element methods were applied in different aspects of forging die design.