The manufacturing of forged parts for trains, cars, and aircrafts differs greatly. Here we take a steel company as an example, from the aspects of material selection, production process, and quality standards to explain the differences.
- Material Selection
The material selection for forged parts for trains, cars, and aircrafts all have different requirements. Forged parts for cars mainly use ordinary carbon structural steel or high-strength alloy steel, which have lower requirements in terms of material composition, initial state, and hot deformation behavior compared to forged parts for aircrafts. However, for surface treatment, forged parts for cars can use more flexible methods such as sandblasting and polishing to remove and adjust the surface, effectively improving the surface smoothness and adhesion performance of the forged parts.
Forged parts for trains mainly use high-power pure arc-fused steel ingots and related alloys, such as 17Mn4, 42CrMo, etc. They mainly rely on heat treatment to change the structure and improve physical and mechanical properties. Forged parts for aircrafts use high-strength, lightweight, and high-temperature-resistant alloy materials, such as 2024 aluminum alloy and titanium alloy, which have extremely high requirements in terms of chemical composition, physical and mechanical properties, and hot deformation behavior.
- Production Process
Different forging technologies are used in different industries. Generally, traditional technologies such as free forging and die forging are used for forging car parts; train parts pay more attention to material heat treatment, forming, and rough machining, and require special treatment for coatings. Forged parts for aircrafts require advanced supersonic hydroforming technology to ensure their ultra-high strength, lightweight, and complex shapes.
For example, this steel company uses customized process flows and related equipment to produce forged parts for trains. The company uses a large-scale oxidation furnace to reduce the material, quenches the produced forged parts in an air-type water quenching steel box, and then performs flatness testing on a flattening machine. In the case of manufacturing forged parts for aircrafts, they employ advanced supersonic hydroforming technology. To meet the manufacturing requirements of different types of aircraft forged parts, the company designs and develops key profiles with ultrasound technology, hydraulic technology, and other critical machinery.
- Quality Standards
Different forged parts have different quality standards. Generally, the main performance indicators of forged parts for trains are mechanical properties, chemical composition, non-metallic inclusions, helium size, etc.; forged parts for cars mainly consider dimensional tolerances, machining processes, and surface smoothness, etc.; whereas forged parts for aircrafts need to satisfy extremely high technical requirements such as high tensile strength, fracture toughness, and fatigue resistance.
In conclusion, there are significant differences in the manufacturing of forged parts for trains, cars, and aircrafts. It is because of these differences that companies need to adopt corresponding measures in material selection, production processes, and quality standards according to different product targets and requirements to ensure the production of high-quality forgings that meet market demands.
