How are aircraft forgings made?
The manufacturing process of aircraft forgings can be simply summarized as the following steps: Material preparation: First of all, it is necessary to select the appropriate material, commonly used including aluminum alloy, titanium alloy and superalloy. These materials have good strength and durability. Pre-heating of ingot: The selected ingot is pre-heated with the aim of improving its malleability. The pre-heating temperature and time depend on the type and specification of the material. Forging process: Put the preheated ingot into the forging equipment, and use huge pressure and impact force to deform it into the desired shape. The forging process can be divided into two ways: free forging and die forging. Free forging: The use of hammering or pressure to forge the ingot in the air. This method is suitable for parts with simple shapes, such as rivets, connecting rods, etc. Die forging: Using a die to forge, by applying pressure to the die, you can obtain higher precision and complex shape forgings. According to the different forging methods, it can be divided into impact forging, extrusion forging, spinning forging and other forms. Heat treatment: Forgings after forging usually require heat treatment to improve their internal structure and properties. Common heat treatment methods include aging treatment, quenching, tempering, etc. The specific choice depends on the material and requirements of the forging. Machining: After heat treatment, forgings may need to be machined to achieve the final size and shape requirements. Common machining methods are turning, milling, drilling and so on. Inspection and testing: Finally, the completed aircraft forgings need to undergo rigorous inspection and testing to ensure their quality and reliability. It usually includes appearance inspection, dimensional measurement, metallographic analysis, mechanical property testing, etc. The above is the general process of aircraft forgings manufacturing, the specific situation will vary according to the shape of different forgings, materials and design requirements.
