The relationship between strength and toughness in automotive forgings and how to improve part toughness, using an example of actual production.
The strength and toughness of automotive forgings are important indicators that affect the quality of parts. In actual production, manufacturers need to maximize the toughness of parts while ensuring strength as much as possible, to avoid part fractures caused by excessive stress beyond the material limit, thereby affecting vehicle safety performance. Here is an example of a large bearing blank produced by an automotive component supplier to explain the relationship between the strength and toughness of automotive forgings and how to improve part toughness.
Firstly, strength and toughness are interrelated. In general, increasing the strength of automotive forgings often leads to a decrease in toughness, and improving part toughness often means sacrificing some strength. Therefore, manufacturers need to find a balance between the two indicators and make a reasonable trade-off according to different application scenarios.
Secondly, how to improve part toughness is crucial. In this case, the company adopted the following measures to improve part toughness:
- Optimize forging process: For the special characteristics of large bearing blanks, the company adopts a specially designed forging process to ensure the toughness. First, the forging temperature is increased, and the filling amount is increased to fully enhance the material. Secondly, the technology of controlling cooling speed is used in the forging process to avoid too many grain boundaries.
- Use high-quality materials: When producing large bearing blanks, the company chooses high-quality steel which has a more reasonable ratio of strength to toughness. Therefore, the parts can also have higher toughness.
- Strengthen heat treatment process: Heat treatment is a key link to improve the toughness of automotive forgings. By adopting some heat treatment technologies, the toughness of parts can be effectively improved. In this case, the company uses suitable heat treatment methods such as quenching and tempering, to achieve better toughness.
In conclusion, the strength and toughness of automotive forgings are interrelated. Manufacturers need to find a balance between the two indicators and make a reasonable trade-off according to different application scenarios. To improve part toughness, manufacturers can use reasonable forging processes, high-quality materials, and strengthened heat treatment processes to effectively improve part toughness and ensure vehicle safety performance.
