What Types of Metals Are Ideal for Forging?

Forging is an ancient and reliable metalworking process employed to produce strong, resilient parts. From historical blacksmithing to contemporary automotive and aerospace applications, it is still vital. The success of the process greatly relies on selecting the appropriate metals employed in forging.

In this blog, we will uncover the metals used for the forging process, their properties, and why certain types of metals are a better choice in the selection for the forging process, particularly in Indian manufacturing and Engineering concepts.

What is Forging?

Forging is a method of manufacturing informed by compressive forces, exerted locally, that shape the metal. In an average forging operation, the compression is applied through hammering - either by hand or via a machine (a hammer or a die). Like many manufacturing processes, it can also be accomplished hot, warm, or cold, depending on the type of metal and the desired properties of the final piece.

Components that are extremely strong, and have an improved grain structure, that are incredibly resistant to fatigue and impact forces, this is most important in the manufacturing of components for the automotive, aerospace, railways, construction, and defence sectors.

Why Metal Selection Matters in Forging?

A metal must have enough plasticity to be formed under pressure without cracking. The metal must also withstand the mechanical and thermal stresses in hot forging.

India is fast industrialising and the manufacturing sector is expected to flourish in the country. The industrial and manufacturing sectors require a range of forged parts for heavy engineering, rail infrastructure, automotive forging parts, and defence machinery. Identifying the right metals used for forging will help the component have extended life, improve performance, and provide better consumption costs.

Most Commonly Used Metals for Forging in India

1. Carbon Steel

Carbon steel is the most common metal used in forging in many industries in India since it is relatively inexpensive, readily available and extremely strong. Carbon steel is available in three basic categories:

Low Carbon Steel: Very easy to forge. Low strength but excellent ductility.
Medium Carbon Steel: A good mix of strength and ductility, the material is typically used to create automotive parts.
High Carbon Steel: A much harder and stronger metal, primarily used components such as tools and dies.

Why it is ideal: Carbon Steel can be heat treated to improve hardness and strength, expanding the usability of the material in many industrial applications.

2. Alloy Steel

Alloy steel is defined simply as carbon steel that has been enhanced with new characteristics by companies, large and small, to fit their needs.
Typical components manufactured by Steel Alloys include various parts such as crankshafts, gears, machining spindles, and various automotive associated items (including sacrificial elements).

Why it is ideal: The physical characteristics associated with alloy steel such as property to weight performance, ability to be machine formed and enhanced mechanical properties make it a good material for precision forging.

3. Stainless Steel

Stainless steel has chromium which makes it resistant to corrosion. In India, it is widely used in food processing, medical devices and high-precision tools.

Why it is ideal: Great corrosion resistance and good mechanical engineering strength. Although it is more expensive and more difficult to forge than carbon steel.

4. Aluminium

Aluminium is resistant to corrosion and moderately strong. Often used in automotive, aerospace, electrical and construction manufacturing in India.

Why it is ideal: Although strict control of temperature is required when forging, we can use its lightweight property and ease of machining to manufacture high-performance components.

5. Copper and Brass

Casting offers more design options than forging. It is possible to pour molten metal into a mold and have it assume nearly any shape. This makes casting perfect to produce parts with intricate shapes that forging would struggle to create.

Why it is ideal: Easy to forge, they have good thermal and electrical conductivity and are corrosion resistant.

6. Titanium

Titanium is strong, lightweight and resistant to corrosion. Very few people work with Titanium because of its high cost and high complexity work processes to forge it. Due to these challenges, titanium usually only finds use in aerospace applications, medical implants, or high-tech engineering projects.

Why they are ideal: Excellent strength-to-weight ratio, thus biocompatible.

7. Tool steels

Tool steels are a class of alloy steels which are utilized for making cutting tools and forging dies. Grades such as H13 and D2 are selected for applications requiring high heat and wear resistance.

Why they are ideal: Retainss hardness in high-temperature applications, making it suitable for die forging operations.

Factors Influencing Metal Selection in Forging

Heat Resistance: Avoid deforming/burning with forging temperature
Deformability: The metal should deform easily without cracking
Strength Expectation and Needs: Consider how the part will be used
Cost and Availability: They should be inexpensive and available locally
Durability: Resistant to corrosion and wear in extreme environments

Indian Market Overview for Forged Metals

India is the second-largest producer of forged parts in the world after China. Indian companies produce parts for the domestic market as well as parts for export to Europe, US, and Middle East. Indian Railways, Tata Motors, DRDO etc. companies are heavy users of forged parts.

An important consideration when deciding on the metals to forge is performance and price. Carbon steel is the primary metal used in forging because of its price/strength balance, however, there is a trend to move to alloy and stainless steels for specific applications.

Environmental and Economic Considerations

Consider the views of environmentalists as forging is recognized as more environmentally friendly than casting because less waste is produced due to no melting, and scrap is predominantly reused without a special process.

Sustainability is now a central area of interest in India, and combined with the emergence of electric vehicles, industries are increasingly exploring forged aluminium and lightweight metals.

Conclusion

Forging is instrumental in India's industrial uptick. By using appropriate metals through forging, we can improve strength, performance, and cost savings. Metals used for forging vary from carbon steel to titanium, where each metal has a particular function. Making smart and reasonable material choices allows us to make better products and a better future in manufacturing.

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