Influence of thermally grown oxides on interfacial friction during hot deformation of large-size forging ingots

Abstract

High-strength steels are pre-heated in gas-fired furnaces before undergoing the open-die forging process. This process increases thermal oxidation on steel surfaces, affecting the interfacial friction between ingot and anvils during deformation. Two medium carbon high-strength steels with different nickel contents were oxidized, and the mechanical characteristics of oxide layers were investigated by micro and nano-indentation methods. It was found that the formed layers on high nickel steel had lower Young modulus and hardness compared to the steel with lower nickel. Finite element modeling and ring tests were used to assess oxide layers' effect on interfacial friction during deformation. The results demonstrated that oxide layers' formation decreased the interfacial friction and deformation load, acting as lubricants at high temperatures.

Keywords

• High-temperature oxidation
• Nano-indentation
• Ring test
• FEM simulation