With the rapid development of the wind power industry, the demand and quality requirements of wind power forgings are also increasing. In order to meet market demand, many new wind power forging materials and manufacturing processes are constantly being developed and applied. This paper will introduce the application background and significance, material selection, process flow, quality control and application prospect of new materials for wind power forging.
I. Introduction
Wind power forging is one of the key components in wind turbine, and its quality directly affects the performance and safety of the whole turbine. With the large-scale and high power of wind turbines, the demand and quality requirements of wind power forgings are getting higher and higher. Therefore, the research and application of new wind power forging materials and manufacturing process is of great significance to improve the quality of wind power forging and reduce the production cost.
Second, material selection
The new materials suitable for the production of wind power forgings should have excellent properties such as high strength, corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance, and also need to have good processing performance and manufacturing cost competitiveness. At present, the new materials suitable for making wind power forgings mainly include titanium alloy, high strength stainless steel, amorphous materials and so on.
Titanium alloy
Titanium alloy has the advantages of high strength, corrosion resistance and light weight, and is one of the ideal materials for making wind power forgings. In terms of strength and corrosion resistance, titanium alloys are superior to traditional carbon steel and stainless steel. In addition, the lightweight characteristics of titanium alloy can reduce the weight of the entire wind turbine, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of the unit.
High strength stainless steel
High strength stainless steel is a kind of steel with high strength and excellent corrosion resistance, which is suitable for the production of wind power forgings. Compared with other steels, high-strength stainless steel has better fatigue resistance and stress corrosion resistance, which can extend the service life of wind power forgings.
Amorphous material
Amorphous materials have excellent physical, chemical and mechanical properties, such as high strength, high hardness, good corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance. These characteristics make amorphous materials become one of the potential materials for wind power forging. In addition, the manufacturing cost of amorphous materials is lower, which can reduce the production cost of wind power forgings.
- Process flow
The manufacturing process of wind power forging includes the selection of raw materials, heat treatment process, machining and other links. Each link will affect the quality and production cost of wind power forgings, so it needs to be strictly controlled.
Raw material selection
The selection of raw materials suitable for the production of wind power forgings needs to take into account factors such as chemical composition, mechanical properties, processing properties and manufacturing costs. For titanium alloy, high-strength stainless steel and other materials, it is necessary to use advanced smelting technology such as vacuum smelting and electroslag remelting to ensure its purity and mechanical properties.
Heat treatment process
Heat treatment process is one of the key factors affecting the quality of wind power forging. For different materials, different heat treatment process parameters need to be formulated. For example, for titanium alloy, it is necessary to use high temperature annealing to eliminate stress and improve the plasticity and toughness of the material; For high-strength stainless steel, solution treatment and aging treatment are required to obtain the required strength and corrosion resistance.
machining
Machining is the key link to realize the geometric shape and dimensional accuracy of wind power forging. For different materials, different processing equipment and processing parameters need to be used. For example, for titanium alloy, it is necessary to use CNC machine tools for precise cutting; For high-strength stainless steel and amorphous materials, advanced hot and cold processing technologies are needed to ensure their dimensional accuracy and surface quality.
- Quality control
In order to ensure that the quality of wind power forging meets the requirements, it is necessary to carry out strict quality control from the aspects of raw material procurement, production process supervision and finished product inspection.
Raw material purchase
The selection of qualified raw materials is the premise of ensuring the quality of wind power forging. In the procurement process, the chemical composition, mechanical properties, processing properties, etc. of raw materials need to be comprehensively tested and evaluated to ensure that they meet the design and manufacturing requirements.
Production process supervision
In the production process, each link needs to be strictly monitored to ensure that the quality of each process meets the requirements. For example, for heat treatment processes, advanced process control technology is needed to ensure the stability and accuracy of parameters such as temperature, time and cooling rate.
Inspection of finished product
The finished product inspection is the last gateway to ensure the quality of wind power forging. In the inspection process, it is necessary to use non-destructive testing technology such as ultrasonic testing, X-ray testing and other comprehensive testing of the finished product to ensure that it meets the design and manufacturing requirements. For unqualified products need to be repaired or scrapped to avoid entering the market to affect the safety and stability of the unit.
- Application prospect
With the rapid development of wind power industry and continuous technological innovation, the application prospect of new materials for wind power forgings is very broad. In the future, new forging technologies and materials will continue to emerge, further improving the quality of wind power forgings and reducing production costs. For example, the use of 3D printing technology to produce wind power forgings has been initially applied, and will be more widely used in the future; At the same time, with the development and application of new energy, wind power forging materials will also develop in the direction of more environmental protection and sustainable development. Therefore, the application prospects of new materials for wind power forgings are very optimistic and will play an increasingly important role in the wind power industry.
