Effect of process parameters on wear in cold rotary forging by using 3D FE numerical simulation

Cold rotary forging is an advanced but very complicated metal forming technology with multifactor coupling interactive effects. The purpose of this paper is to utilise the finite element (FE) method to reveal the effect of the process parameters on the wear that occurs over the surfaces of the dies and workpiece in cold rotary forging. For this purpose, a three-dimensional (3D) elastic-plastic dynamic explicit FE model of cold rotary forging of 20CrMnTi alloy was developed using the FE software ABAQUS/Explicit, and its validity was verified experimentally. According to the valid 3D FE model, a parametric study was conducted, examining the effect of the major process parameters on the wear response and optimising the process parameters. The results of this research thoroughly reveal the complicated wear mechanisms over the dies and workpieces and provide an important guide for optimising the process parameters in cold rotary forging.