DIE-ELASTICITY FOR PRECISION FORGING OF AEROFOIL SECTIONS USING FINITE-ELEMENT SIMULATION

Precision forging of material into turbine blades needs a clear unders tanding of the prevailing parameters in forging, appropriateness of pr eform design, process simulation and techniques for compensating compo nent form errors due to die-elasticity. With this In mind, simulations are conducted to analyses the material flow during forging of aerofoi l sections, forging force history, contact pressure distribution betwe en die and component, and the elastic deflections of the forging dies are investigated using finite element simulation. Further, the compens ation of die-elasticity is proposed by modifying die profiles in respo nse to die deflections based on the nominal dimensions of forging dies . The minimisation of form errors of aerofoil sections due to die-elas ticity is derived by iterations using FE. The results obtained enable the quantitative estimation of die-elasticity in precision forging of aerofoil sections, and the technique for compensating component-form e rrors to achieve net-shape forming production. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scien ce S.A. All rights reserved.