Among all manufacturing processes, forging technology has a special place because it can be used to produce parts of superior mechanical properties with minimum waste of material. Process selection and optimization are important because of the ever-increasing costs of material, energy, and labor. This reference book reviews the fundamentals of forging technology, the principal variables of the forging process and their interactions, and computer-aided techniques such as finite element analysis (FEA) for forging process and tooling design.

Topics addressed include the flow behavior of the forged material under processing conditions; die geometry and die materials; friction and lubrication; the mechanics of deformation (strains and stresses); the characteristics of forging equipment; the geometry, tolerances, surface finish and mechanical properties of forgings; and the effects of the process on the environment. A major emphasis is on the latest developments in the design of forging operations and dies, and process modeling using FEA is discussed in all of the relevant chapters. 

Several chapters of the book have appendices that consist of computer animations showing the results of FEA simulations for various forging operations. The appendices are provided in Microsoft PowerPoint format on the CD-ROM that is included with the book. 

Contents: 

Metal Forming Processes in Manufacturing 
Forging Process-Variables and Descriptions 
Plastic Deformation: Strain and Strain Rate 
Flow Stress and Forgeability 
Deformation: Complex State of Stress and Flow Rules 
Temperatures and Heat Transfer 
Friction and Lubrication 
Simultaneous Determination of Flow Stress and Friction 
Methods of Analysis for Forging Operations 
Principles of Forging Machines 
Presses and Hammers for Forging 
Special Machines for Forging 
Billet Separation 
Process Design in Impression Die Forging 
A Simplified Method to Estimate Forging Load in Impression Die Forging 
Process Modeling in Impression Die Forging using FEA 
Cold and Warm Forging 
Process Modeling in Cold Forging using FEA 
Microstructure Modeling in Forging 
Isothermal and Hot Die Forging 
Die Materials and Die Manufacturing 
Die Failures in Cold and Hot Forging 
Near Net Shape Forging and New Developments 
Index