• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.22 no.11 s.176
• /
• pp.45-50
• /
• 2005

In this study, the casting/forging process was applied in manufacturing a low control arm, in order to prove that application of casting/forging process to Al6061 is likely to get the effect of light weight compared with existing steel products and to reduce the cost of materials. Firstly, In order to set up the optimum casting condition of the forging material, Al6061, casting experiments were carried out by controlling pouring temperature of the aluminum for casting, mold temperature, and pouring time. $700^{\circ}C$ pouring temperature, $300^{\circ}C$ mold temperature and 10-second pouring time were taken into account as the optimum casting conditions. With respect to a hot forging test, it is practiced on the basis of a temperature of materials, strain rate, and reduction rate so as to observe each microstructure and examine strain-stress curve simultaneously; examine tensile test and hardness test; eventually set up the optimum hot forging condition. A hot forging test, tensile test, hardness experiment, and microstructure observation were carried out on condition of $70\%$ reduction rate, $500^{\circ}C$ temperature of materials, and 1 strain rate. As a result of those experiments, 330MPa tensile strength, $16.4\%$ elongation, and 122.8Hv hardness were recorded. In oder to get a sound preform which has no unfitting cavity and less flash, two preforms were proposed on the basis of volume rate of the final product; the optimum volume rate of preform for the low control arm was $115\%$. In conclusion, it is confirmed that using the forging material rather than casting materials in casting/forging process is likely to get more superior mechanical properties. Compared with Al6061, performed by means of general forging, moreover, cast/forged Al6061 can not only stimulate productivity by reducing production processes, but cut down the cost of materials by reusing forging scraps.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.180-185
• /
• 2002

Aluminum casting/forging process is used to produce an aluminum tie-rod end for the steering system of automobiles. Firstly, casting experiments were carried out to get a good preform for forging the tie-rod end. In the casting experiment, the effects of additives, Ti+B, Zr, Sr, and Mg, on the mechanical properties and the microstructure of a cast preform were investigated. And a finite element analysis was performed to determine an optimal configuration of the cast preform. Lastly, a forging experiment was carried out to make the final product of aluminum tie-rod end by using the above cast preform. In the casting experiments, when 0.2% Ti+B and 0.25% Zr were simultaneously added into molten Al-Si alloy, the highest values of tensile strength and elongation of the cast preform were obtained. When 0.04% Sr were added into the molten aluminum alloy, the finest silicon-structure was observed in the cast preform. The highest hardness was obtained when 0.2% Mg was added. In the forging experiment, It was confirmed that the optimal configuration of a cast preform predicted by FE analysis was very useful. The hardness of a cast/forged product using designed preform was superior to that of required specification.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.25 no.9
• /
• pp.1438-1443
• /
• 2001

The significance of the casting/forging process for reducing the production cost of large components is being noted in these days. This casting/forging process is a method of forging a workpiece preformed by casting into the final shape. In this study, the casting/forging process has been applied in manufacturing a large aluminum flange in order to reduce press capacity and material cost. Firstly, a hot compression test was performed with cast cylindrical billets in order to determine the optimum forging condition of the aluminum flange. The optimum range of forging temperature of Al 5083 was from 420$\^{C}$ to 450$\^{C}$. The suitable strain rate was 1.5 sec(sup)-1. The deformation amount of a preform of a preform in a forging process is a key role in the mechanical properties of casting/forging products. In order to find the change of mechanical properties according to effective stain of cast aluminum billets, a hot upsetting test were performed with rectangular blocks and then a uniaxial tensile test was performed with specimens cut from the upsetted billets. The tensile strength and the elongation of cast/upsetted aluminum billets were increased largely until the effective strain was 0.7. FE analysis was performed to determine the configurations of case preform and die for an aluminum flange. In the FE analysis, the forging load-limit was fixed 1500ton for low equipment cost. The cast preform was designed so that the effective stain around the neck of a flange exceeded 0.7. From the result of FE analysis, optimal configurations of the cast preform and the die were designed for a large flange. The filling and solidification analysis for a sound cast-preform was carried out with MAGMA soft. In the forging experiment for an aluminum flange, it was confirmed that the optimal configuration of the cast preform predicted by FE analysis was very useful. The cast/forged products using designed preform were made perfectly without any defects.