Analysis of the Industrial Process of Producing a Lever-Type Forging Used in Motorcycles

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the multi-operation hot die forging process, performed on a press, of producing a lever forging used in the motorcycles of a renowned producer by means of numerical simulations. The investigations were carried out in order to improve (perfect) the currently applied production technology, mainly due to the presence of forging defects during the industrial production process. The defects result mainly from the complicated shape of the forging (bent main axis, deep and thin protrusions, high surface diversity in the cross section along the length of the detail), which, during the filling of the die by the deformed material, causes the presence of laps, wraps and underfills on the forging. Through the determination of the key parameters/quantities during the forging process, which are difficult to establish directly during the industrial process or experimentally, a detailed and complex analysis was performed with the use of FEM as well as through microstructure examinations. The results of the performed numerical modelling made it possible to determine: the manner of the material flow and the correctness of the impression filling, as well as the distributions of temperature fields and plastic deformations in the forging, and also to detect the forging defects often observed in the industrial process. On this basis, changes into the process were introduced, making it possible to improve the currently realized technology and obtain forgings of the proper quality as well as shape and dimensions.

Keywords

• hot die forging
• numerical modelling
• microstructure analyze
• forging defect
• improving of technology