The study is concerned with the two-dimensional thermo-viscoplastic finite element analysis for radial forging as an incremental forging process. The deformation and temperature distribution of the workpiece during radial forging are studied.
The analysis of deformation and the analysis of heat transfer are carried out for simple upsetting of a cylinder both by coupling and by decoupling the above two analyses in order to check whether the computation time can be saved by the decoupled analysis without imparing the accuracy of the solution. The comparison has shown that the results of the decoupled analysis are almost coincident with those of the coupled analysis. A method of treatment for heat transfer through the contact region between the die and the workpiece is suggested, in which remeshing of the die elements is not necessary.
Radial forging of a mild steel cylinder at the elevated temperature is subjected to the decoupled finite element analysis as well as to the experiment. The computed results in deformation, load and temperature distribution are found to be in good agreement with the experimental observations. As an example of viscoplastic decoupled analysis of hot radial forging, forging of a square section into a circular section is treated. The stress, strains, strain rates and temperature distribution are computed by superposing material properties as the workpiece is rotated and forged incrementally. It has been thus shown that the proposed method of analysis can be effectively applied to the hot radial forging processes.
