Analysis of special forging processes for heavy ingots by finite element method

Abstract For the application of numerical simulation to forming processes, one outstanding problem area is the analysis of three-dimensional deformation problems and the evaluation on the effect of closing and consolidation of internal cavities at the cores of large forgings. Considering the balance of solution accuracy and computational efficiency, a simplified 8-node element was employed. A new way to explore the effect on elimination of internal defects by means of shrinkage rate and shrinkage energy which are computed by finite element method is introduced. Analyses for WHF process which can improve the soundness of heavy forgings have been performed. The optimum geometrical parameters for the process are proposed. The results show an excellent agreement between theory and experiments.