Heating and insulation are very critical in the production of aircraft forgings. Typically, forging materials need to be heated in a heating furnace to achieve the appropriate plastic deformation state. In the heating process, it is necessary to solve how to quickly and uniformly heat the forging material to the required temperature, while avoiding problems such as uneven heating or overheating leading to deformation or burning of the forging material. After heating, insulation is also very necessary to ensure that the forging material is within the required temperature range for forming.
To solve the heating and insulation problems, modern aircraft forging production uses various technologies and methods, as follows:
- Resistance heating technology: This heating technology achieves heating by applying current to the surface of the forging material to produce a magnetic field. Compared with other heating methods, it has the characteristics of fast, precise, and controllable, and can avoid problems of uneven heating and overheating.
- Vacuum heating technology: Vacuum heating technology is a method of using a vacuum environment for heating, which can effectively reduce oxidation and deterioration during heating and ensure the quality of the forging. This method is suitable for heating under high-temperature stress states.
- Injection heating technology: This technology heats the forging material by injecting the heating medium into it, realizing maximum utilization of heat and heating uniformity. After the heating is completed, the medium can be directly withdrawn, greatly shortening the heating and cooling time.
- Use of insulation cover: To avoid possible heat leakage during heating and ensure the heating temperature uniformity of each part, some factories use insulation covers. The insulation cover can wrap around the forging, obstruct heat exchange with the outside world, thus ensuring the uniformity and stability of the temperature during the heating process.
In summary, different heating and insulation methods can be selected according to different forging materials and production requirements. At the same time, strict control of the heating and insulation conditions and parameters is necessary in the production process to ensure the quality of the forging material and production efficiency.
