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Thixoforming of Steels – A Status Report
Author(s) -
Püttgen W.,
Bleck W.,
Hirt G.,
Shimahara H.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
advanced engineering materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1527-2648
pISSN - 1438-1656
DOI - 10.1002/adem.200700006
Subject(s) - forging , materials science , metallurgy , process (computing) , aluminium , tool steel , forming processes , die casting , manufacturing engineering , mechanical engineering , casting , process engineering , computer science , engineering , composite material , operating system
The thixoforming of metals is a new forming technology, which combines the advantages of casting and forging and focuses on the production of structural components with complex shapes. Various components made of aluminium and magnesium are already industrially produced. Apart from this, using steels in the thixoforming processes is still a matter of research. This paper summarises the state of the art of steel thixoforming. Besides relevant material and process parameters, different process routes, numerical modelling techniques, and tool requirements are discussed. In addition, thixoformed prototypes of different steel grades are presented and evaluated with defect index cards, which characterise occurring defects and give suggestions how to avoid them. The design of suitable tool materials and tool concepts, the development of heating strategies which provide a homogeneous temperature distribution, and the development of thixoformable steels are main topics of current research. This paper focuses on the technology of steel thixoforming with regard to the material requirements, the production processes, and the accompanying current technical problems.