IJREAT International Journal of Research in Engineering & Advanced Technology, Volume 2, Issue 6, Dec-Jan, 2015

ISSN: 2320 – 8791 (Impact Factor: 1.479)

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Forging Die Design & Simulation

Nilkanth Velhal1
1 KTSL, MMIT, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract
Most of the Multi-national Companies want to establish their We are going to design a forging die for manufacturing a
business in India, as India is one of the developing country. connecting rod and stimulate the process virtually.
Forging Companies are contributing important role among these It will be advantageous for reducing the failures of forging
companies. As the number of two wheelers increasing, production
dies by designing the dies 1st virtually in any 3d modelling
of their parts also needs to be increase. If it is possible to design
and simulate the part or component before its manufacturing, it
software’s and then testing these virtual dies by using
will be useful to reduce rejection of parts due to its failure. So that stimulation software’s such as Forge 3.
it will be beneficial considering profit of that company
Keywords: Connecting Rod, 3D Modelling, Simulation,
Forge-3 Software. 2. Forging
Forging processes are among the oldest and most important
1. Introduction of materials-related technologies. The usefulness of the
deformation processes that comprise metalworking
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of technology is indicated by the wide variety of parts of
metal using localized compressive force. Forging process is simple and complex shape with carefully tailored
classified according to the temperature at which it is mechanical and physical properties that are made routinely
performed: "cold", "warm", or "hot" forging. Forged parts in industry. It is difficult to visualize what our lives would
can range in weight from less than a kilogram to 580 metric be like without such products. Today industry must
tons. Most of the forged parts usually require further continuously evaluate the costs of competitive materials and
processing to achieve a finished part. the operations necessary for converting each material into
Currently in India Forging Dies are designed based on the final products. Manufacturing economy with no sacrifice in
geometry of product to be forged and forging the quality is paramount. Therefore, "precision" method of
appropriate geometry on the forged component usually forming, net and near-net shape processing, and modern
require multiple blows with multiple dies. statistical and design processes based on computer and
This leads to imperfect die in many cases and leads to heavy control techniques have great importance than ever.
financial losses due to various manufacturing processes used The term forging is applied to several processes in which a
to manufacture that failed die. piece of metal is shaped to the desired form by plastic
These losses can be avoided by designing the die on any 3D deformation of a simple starting form such as straight bar,
modelling software’s available and then virtually stimulating billet and ingot. The energy which causes deformation is
the performance of the die on Forge-3 software by inputting applied by a hammer, press, up setter either alone or in
various constraints and parameters required by the software. combination. The required shape is imparted by the tools
By using such technique we can reduce failures occurring in that contact the work piece and by careful control of the
die design by almost 90%. applied energy.

1.1 Problem Definition

2.1 Outline of Forging and Related Operations
Currently the manufacturing process is time consuming and
chances of failure are high. The designers have to 1st • The Customer Details
manufacture the dies and then tests are carried out. If the die • Product Design
fails to indent the required shape then heavy economic • Technical Review with Customer
losses occurs. • Engineering Study of model and drawing
• Engineering Predevelopment review

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IJREAT International Journal of Research in Engineering & Advanced Technology, Volume 2, Issue 6, Dec-Jan, 2015
ISSN: 2320 – 8791 (Impact Factor: 1.479)
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• Cross functional team review 3.1 Factors Considered For Selection of Die Material
• Engineering analysis
• CAM generation • Properties of materials that determine their
• Standardized tooling selection as die materials for hot forging are:
• Die manufacturing • Ability to harden uniformly
• Pre trail meetings • Wear resistance (ability to resist the abrasive action
• Production Trial of hot metal during forging)
• Part measurement • Resistance to plastic deformation (ability to
• Part submission withstand pressure and resist deformation
under load)
3. Die Material • Toughness
• Resistance to thermal fatigue and heat checking
DIE MATERIALS used for hot forging include hot-work • Resistance to mechanical fatigue
tool steels (AISI H series), some alloy steels such as the
AISI 4300 or 4100 series, and a small number of proprietary, For selection of Die material and considering section factors
lower-alloy materials. The AISI hot-work tool steels can be Chromium and Vanadium which are the deciding factors and
loosely grouped according to composition (see Table). Die from available materials it’s beneficial to select H13 Die
materials for hot forging should have good harden ability as steel as a material for forging die.
well as resistance to wear, plastic deformation, thermal
fatigue and heat checking, and mechanical fatigue. Die 4. Dies
design is also important in ensuring adequate die life; poor
design can result in premature wear or breakage. 4.1 Impression Dies
Hot-work die steels are commonly used for hot-forging dies
subjected to temperatures ranging from 315 to 650 °C (600
Dies for closed-die (impression-die) forging on presses are
to 1200 °F). These materials contain chromium, tungsten,
often designed to forge the part in one blow, and some sort
and in some cases, vanadium or molybdenum or both. These
of ejection mechanism (for example, knockout pins) is often
alloying elements induce deep hardening characteristics and
incorporated into the die. Dies may contain impressions for
resistance to abrasion and softening. These steels usually are
several parts. Hammer forgings are usually made using
hardened by quenching in air or molten salt baths. The
several blows in successive die impressions. Such dies
chromium-base steels contain about 5% Cr (Table 1). High
usually contain several different types of impressions, each
molybdenum content gives these materials resistance to
serving a specific function.
softening; vanadium increases resistance to abrasion and
softening. Tungsten improves toughness and hot hardness;
tungsten-containing steels, however, are not resistant to
thermal shock and cannot be cooled intermittently with
water. The tungsten-base hot-work die steels contain 9 to
18% W, 2 to 12% Cr, and sometimes small amounts of
vanadium. The high tungsten content provides resistance to
softening at high temperatures while maintaining adequate
toughness, but it also makes water cooling of these steels
impossible.
Low-alloy proprietary steels are also used frequently as die
materials for hot forging. Steels with ASM designations 6G,
6F2, and 6F3 have good toughness and shock resistance,
with good resistance to abrasion and heat checking. These Fig.1. Impression Dies
steels are tempered at lower temperatures (usually 450 to
500 °C, or 840 to 930 °F); therefore, they are more suited 4.2 Fullers
for applications that do not result in high die surface
temperatures, for example, die holders for hot forging or A fuller is a die impression used to reduce the cross section
hammer die blocks and to lengthen a portion of the forging stock. In
longitudinal cross section, the fuller is usually elliptical or

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ISSN: 2320 – 8791 (Impact Factor: 1.479)
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oval to obtain optimum metal flow without producing laps, 4.5 Benders
folds, or cold shuts. Fullers are used in combination with
edgers or rollers, or as the only impression before use of the A portion of the die can be used to bend the stock, generally
blocker or finisher. Because fullering usually is the first step along its longitudinal axis, in two or more planes. There are
in the forging sequence, and generally uses the least amount two basic designs of bender impressions: free-flow and
of forging energy, the fuller is almost always placed on the trapped-stock.
extreme edge of the die, as shown.
In bending with a free-flow bender either one end or both
ends of the forging are free to move into the bender. A
4.2 Edgers single bend is usually made. This type of bending may cause
folds or small wrinkles on the inside of the bend.
Edgers are used to redistribute and proportion stock for
heavy sections that will be further shaped in blocker or The trapped-stock bender usually is employed for making
finisher impressions. Thus, the action of the edger is multiple bends. With this technique, the stock is gripped at
opposite to that of the fuller. A connecting rod is an example both ends as the blow is struck, and the stock in between is
of a forging in which stock is first reduced in a fuller to bent. Because the metal is held at both ends, it is usually
prepare the slender central part of the rod and then worked stretch edger bending. There is a slight reduction in cross-
in an edger to proportion the ends of the boss and crank sectional area in the bend, and the work metal is less likely
shapes. to wrinkle or fold than in a free-flow bender.
The edger impression may be open at the side of the die
block, or confined. An edger is sometimes used in Stock that is to be bent may require preforming by fullering,
combination with a bender in a single die impression to edging, or rolling. Bulges of extra material may be provided
reduce the number of forging blows necessary to produce a at the bends to prevent the formation of kinks or folds in
forging. free-flow bending. This is particularly necessary when sharp
bends are made. The bent pre form usually is rotated 90° as
4.3 Rollers it is placed in the next impression.
Rollers are used to round the stock (for example, from a
square billet to a round, bar like shape) and often to cause
4.6 Splitters
some redistribution of mass in preparation for the next
impression. The stock usually is rotated, and two or more
In making fork-type forgings, frequently part of the work
blows are needed to roll the stock.
metal is split so that it conforms more closely to the
The operation of a roller impression is similar to that of an
subsequent blocker impression. In a splitting operation, the
edger, but the metal is partially confined on all sides, with
stock is forced outward from its longitudinal axis by the
shapes in the top and bottom dies resembling a pair of
action of the splitter. Generous radii should be used to
shallow bowls. Because of the cost of sinking the die
prevent the formation of cold shuts, laps, and folds.
impressions, rolling is more expensive than edging,
provided both operations can be done in the same number of
blows. 4.7 Blockers

The blocker impression immediately precedes the finisher

4.4 Flatteners impression and serves to prepare the shape of the metal
before it is forged to final shape in the finisher. Usually, the
Flatteners are used to widen the work metal, so that it more blocker imparts the general final shape to the forging,
nearly covers the next impression or, with a 90° rotation, to omitting those details that restrict metal flow in finishing,
reduce the width to within the dimensions of the next and including those details that will permit smooth metal
impression. The flattener station can be either a flat area on flow and complete filling in the finisher impression.
the face of the die or an impression in the die to give the
exact size required. 4.7 Finisher

The finisher impression gives the final overall shape to the

work piece. It is in this impression that any excess work

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IJREAT International Journal of Research in Engineering & Advanced Technology, Volume 2, Issue 6, Dec-Jan, 2015
ISSN: 2320 – 8791 (Impact Factor: 1.479)
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metal is forced out into the flash. Despite its name, the 4.7 To manufacture a CONROD One need design
finisher impression is not necessarily the last step in the following dies:
production of a forging. A bending or hot coining operation
is sometimes used to give the final shape or dimensions to a
forged part after it has passed through the finisher
impression and the trimming die. 1. Roller die
A blocker may be a streamlined model of the finisher, used
to provide a smooth transition from partially finished to 2. Flattener die
finished forging. Streamlining helps the metal flow around
radii, reducing the possibility of cold shuts or other defects.
Sometimes, the blocker impression is made by duplicating 3. Blocker die
the finisher impression in the die block and then rounding it
off as required for smooth flow of metal. When this practice
is used, the volume of metal in the blocker preform is 4. Finisher die
greater than will be needed in the finisher impression. Also,
the blocker impression is larger at the parting line than is the
finisher impression. The excess metal causes the finisher 5. Piercing Die
impression to wear at the flash land--where the excess metal
must be extruded as flash--and around the top of the
impression. With wear, the finisher will produce forgings 6. Trimming die
that cannot be properly trimmed or that are out of tolerance.
The impression must be reworked more frequently, or the
die must be scrapped prematurely.

It is better practice to make the blocker impression slightly Fig.2. Various operations on a billet.
narrower and deeper than the finisher impression, with a
volume that is equal to, or only slightly greater than, that of 5. Customer Requirements
the finisher. The use of a blocker impression having this
narrower design minimizes die wear at the parting line in the Requirements are as follows:
finisher impression. Moreover, it eliminates the occurrence • Material-S48C (JIS G 4051).
of the type of lap that is likely to be produced in a finished • After forging HARDEN & TEMPER to 235-275
forging made from a blocker preform of the rounded, BHN.
finisher-duplicate sort described above, namely, the lap • Forging to be close trimmed and shot blasted.
made when the finisher shaves excess metal from the sides • Forging must be straight & free from twist.
of the blocker preform. An added benefit of the narrower • Inspect 100% for hairline crack by magnaflux test.
design is that it allows for some wear of the blocker • Finally the forging should be stress relieved.
impression.

Forging of parts that include deep holes or bosses can cause

trouble in the finisher. For producing such parts, the blocker 6. Software
sometimes serves as a gathering operation: A volume of
metal that is sunk to one side of a forging in the blocker 6.1 Software used in Designing of Dies:
impression can be forced through to the other side in the
finisher impression, filling a high boss. Use of a blocker CAD software: AUTOCAD 07
impression, in addition to promoting smooth metal flow in CATIA V5
the finisher impression, reduces wear. UG-NX4

CAD CAM software: UG-NX4

Analysis software: FORGE 3

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ISSN: 2320 – 8791 (Impact Factor: 1.479)
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6.2 AutoCAD 2007 continuously upgrade the techniques of product
development.
AutoCAD is a software application for computer-aided • Metal flow simulation software Forge-3, 2D and
design (CAD) and drafting. The software supports both 2D 3D for Virtual Manufacturing.
and 3Dformats. The software is developed and sold by • Virtual manufacturing.
Autodesk, Inc., first released in December 1982 by • Prediction of Forming Load Energy .
Autodesk in the year following the purchase of the first form • Feasibility study on part manufacturing.
of the software by Autodesk founder John Walker. • Die stress analysis.
AutoCAD is Autodesk's flagship product and by March
1986 had become the most ubiquitous microcomputer
design program in the world, utilizing functions such as
"polylines" and "fitting”. Prior to the introduction of
AutoCAD, most other CAD programs ran on mainframe
computers or minicomputers, with each CAD operator (user)
working at a graphical terminal or workstation.

6.3 CATIA V5 R19

CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive

Application) (in English usually pronounced /kəˈtiə/) is a
multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite
developed by the French company Dassault systems.
Written in the C++ programming language, CATIA is the
cornerstone of the Dassault Systems product lifecycle
management software suite. Fig.3. 3D model of connecting rod which is to be manufacture
CATIA competes in the high-end CAD/CAM/CAE market
with Creo Elements/Pro and NX (Unigraphics). 7. Details from 3D Model

• MW = Model weight=1.63 Kg
6.4 UG-NX4 • Lmax = Maximum forging length=248mm
• Wmax=Maximum forging width=93mm
NX, also known as NX Unigraphics or usually just U-G, is • PA=Plan area of forging=8937 millimeter square
an advanced CAD/CAM/CAE software package developed • Weight for 0.1mm thickness=0.007 Kg
by Siemens PLM Software.
It is used, among other tasks, for:
•Design (parametric and direct solid/surface modelling)
•Engineering analysis (static, dynamic, electro-magnetic,
thermal, using the Finite Element Method, and fluid using
the finite volume method).
•Manufacturing finished design by using included machining
modules.
NX is a direct competitor to Creo Elements/Pro and CATIA.

6.5 FORGE 3

FORGE 3 from Transvalor, France used for process

validation, die stress analysis, to estimate forging load, grain
flow, tool life, material yield and design optimization and do
virtual simulation of forging process. The engineering center Fig.4. Approximate Partitions of the prepared 3d model is done
is well equipped with latest hardware & software to

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ISSN: 2320 – 8791 (Impact Factor: 1.479)
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7.1 3D model Roller Dies after calculating Dimension 8.3 Simulation Results From FORGE 3 Software
of billet for each pass

Fig.5. Roller Die

Fig.8. Finisher Die

8. Flatner, Blocker and Finisher Die In figure no. 8 Blue colour indicates Die is completely filled
by material and die is in completely in contact with the
8.1 Flatner component after application of force. If Die is not
completely in contact with material due to forging defects
then at that part colour of forged component is RED shown
by FORGE 3 analysis tool. In Fig.8 forged part having red
colour is nothing but Flash which will remove in Trimming
operation. And circular red spot is part where upper die is
not in fully contact with component. But this part is going to
remove in piercing Operation. This analysis is useful to
identify defects in forged component before its
manufacturing.

Fig.6. Flatner Die

8.2 Finisher

Fig.9. Blocker Die

Fig.7. Finisher Die

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ISSN: 2320 – 8791 (Impact Factor: 1.479)
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9. Trimming & Piercing Die

Trimming is the removal of flash that is produced on the

part during the forging operation. Trimming may also be
used to remove some of the draft material, thereby
producing straight sidewalls on the part. It is usually
performed by a top die and bottom die that are shaped to the
contour of the part. The top die acts as a punch to push the
part through the lower die containing the cutting edge. If the
top die does not follow the contour of the part, the part may
be deformed during the trimming operation. An operation
similar to trimming is punching, in which excess material on
an internal surface is removed. To ensure accurate cuts,
punching and trimming operations are often performed
simultaneously.
Fig.12. Billet after Blocker impression
10. Manufactured Connecting Rod

Fig.10. Billet after Roll forging.

Fig.12. Billet after Finisher impression

Fig.13. Billets after Trimming Operation

Fig.11. Billet after flatter impression

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References
[1] Evaluation of a sudden brake warning system: Effect on the
response time of the following driver, Applied Ergonomics
Volume 41, Issue 4, July 2010.
[2] “ASM Handbook of Forming and forging”, S.L. Semiatin, 9th
Edition.
[3] “Process Design in Impression Die Forging” by T. Altanand
M. Shirgaokar, ERC/NSM, NSM Laboratory, Ohio State
University.
[4] “Selection of Forging Equipment” by Taylan Altan and Manas
Shirgaokar, The Ohio State University.
[5] “Product design for forging” - Published by forging industry
Fig.13. Billets after Piercing Operation
(Connecting Rod)
association.

6. Conclusion

Although the design criterions imposed challenging

problems which however were overcame by me due to
availability of good reference books. The selection of choice
raw materials helped me in machining of the various
components to very close tolerance and thereby minimizing
the level of wear and tear.
By using stimulation it is easy to reduce the failure chances
of the dies manufactured by about 90 % and thus reduced
the financial losses which occur because of these failures.
The various dies which were manufactured by company for
forging connecting rod gave satisfactory results.

Acknowledgments

The author thanks foMr. Mahesh Gade, Engineering Design

Head, KTSL. and the management for giving me the
opportunity to work in their esteemed organization. His
ideas at certain crucial points have helped us greatly.The
author also thanks Prabal Kumar Bhumkar, Sandeep Ram
Shinde and Abhijeet Vijay Hake for their great time and
support for supporting me. The author also thanks Prof. R. S.
Patil, HOD Mechanical Engineering Department MMIT,
Lohgaon and Dr. P. J. Awasare, Principal, Marathawada
Mitra Mandal’s Institute of Technology who directly or
indirectly helped me.

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