A method and structure for insert design based on warm forming process

Abstract

The application provides a gasket structure based on a warm forming process and a preparation method, which comprises a gasket base and a die surface gasket, the gasket base is installed on the die surface gasket; the gasket base is provided with a protrusion; the protrusion is obliquely arranged on the gasket base; the gasket base is provided with a cooling structure for cooling; the cooling structure comprises cooling water channel grooves and communication grooves, the cooling water channel grooves are evenly and parallelly distributed on the gasket base, the communication grooves comprise first communication grooves and second communication grooves; the gasket base is respectively provided with the first communication grooves and the second communication grooves on both sides of the cooling water channel grooves. The gasket structure based on the warm forming process constructs a cooling water channel with a shape following a cavity, the water channel is arranged on the surface of the gasket base in a milling manner, compared with a drilling manner, the forming difficulty is greatly reduced, and the water channel arranged in this manner only has two through holes, namely a water inlet and a water outlet, and does not need to use a redundant hole plug, thereby reducing the risk of leakage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of warm forming process technology, and in particular relates to an insert design method and structure based on warm forming process. Background Technology

[0002] The cooling system plays a crucial role in ensuring forming quality during warm forming stamping processes. Coolant circulates in the channels, carrying away heat from the mold and thus cooling the sheet metal. By controlling the temperature and flow rate of the coolant, the cooling rate of the sheet metal can be controlled, thereby achieving high-quality formed parts.

[0003] The sheet cooling process is divided into two stages: the first is the air cooling stage during sheet transfer and before mold closing, and the second is the in-mold cooling stage after mold closing. This is the main cooling method for the sheet. By controlling the cooling rate, the sheet can complete different phase transformations within the ideal temperature range to obtain different microstructures, thereby ensuring or improving the mechanical properties of the molded parts.

[0004] Traditional cooling channel designs include drilled straight-channel direct-discharge cooling structures, drilled straight-channel mixed-discharge cooling structures, and pre-embedded cooling water pipes followed by inlay casting. Each of these methods has certain limitations or drawbacks during manufacturing. During machining, straight channels are difficult to position, and for parts with significant undulations, straight channels cannot guarantee uniform and sufficient cooling; furthermore, mold steel is expensive. While pre-embedded cast channels ensure conformity to the mold surface, they place high demands on the casting process, and cast iron has limited impact and fatigue resistance, resulting in a shorter service life. Therefore, designing a cooling channel structure suitable for warm forming processes is essential to improve cooling uniformity and efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To achieve uniform and rapid cooling of the sheet metal temperature to the target temperature range during the warm forming process and to control the phase transformation structure of the sheet metal, this invention provides a design method and structure for inserts based on the warm forming process.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is implemented as follows:

[0007] An insert structure based on a thermoforming process includes an insert base and a molded insert, wherein the insert base is mounted on the molded insert;

[0008] The insert base has protrusions; these protrusions are angled and positioned on the insert base; the mating surface between the die insert and the insert base is a smooth curved surface formed by geometric optimization after offsetting the die surface by a certain distance. The die insert is made of hot stamping die steel, which is characterized by high temperature resistance and friction resistance; the insert base can be forged from ordinary steel, as long as it has a certain strength and impact resistance. Hot stamping die steel is expensive, and using split inserts can effectively reduce the overall price of the die without affecting the overall performance of the insert.

[0009] The insert substrate is equipped with a cooling structure for cooling;

[0010] The cooling structure includes cooling water channel grooves and connecting grooves. Several cooling water channel grooves are evenly and parallelly distributed on the insert base. The connecting grooves include a first connecting groove and a second connecting groove.

[0011] The cooling water channel groove of the insert substrate is provided with a first connecting groove and a second connecting groove on both sides.

[0012] Preferably, one end of the first connecting groove is provided with a liquid inlet, and the second connecting groove is provided with a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet and the liquid inlet are arranged diagonally opposite each other on the cooling water channel groove of the insert base. The liquid inlet is connected to the liquid outlet through the connecting groove and the cooling water channel groove.

[0013] Preferably, the cooling water channel groove is provided with a negative angle groove at the end near the liquid inlet, and the angle of the negative angle groove decreases sequentially from the side near the liquid inlet to the side away from the liquid inlet.

[0014] Preferably, the angle between the negative angle groove and the cooling water channel groove is an acute angle, and more preferably, the acute angle is 0-60°.

[0015] Preferably, the insert base is provided with a sealing groove, which is located around the insert base. The insert base and the mold insert are sealed by a sealing ring located in the sealing groove.

[0016] Preferably, the insert base and the mold insert are connected by bolts.

[0017] Preferably, the insert base has several evenly distributed bolt fixing holes on its four sides, and the number of bolt fixing holes on one side of the insert base is at least 2.

[0018] Preferably, the tilt angle of the protrusion is 15-30°.

[0019] A method for fabricating an insert structure based on a warm forming process is disclosed. The insert is made of hot stamping die steel, and the insert substrate is forged from steel. Cooling channel grooves in the insert substrate are milled onto the surface of the insert substrate.

[0020] The characteristic of this method is that the mold insert is divided into a mold surface insert and an insert base. Cooling water channel grooves that follow the shape of the mold surface are constructed on the insert base. By utilizing the cooperation between the mold surface insert and the insert base, the cooling water channel grooves form independent cooling water channels, realizing the controllability of the water flow direction, thereby realizing the control of the cooling rate of the sheet metal, and thus obtaining a formed part with an ideal structure.

[0021] Compared with existing technologies, the insert structure based on a warm forming process and its preparation method described in this invention have the following advantages:

[0022] 1. The die insert is made of hot stamping die steel, which is characterized by high temperature resistance and friction resistance; the insert base can be forged from ordinary steel, as long as it has a certain strength and impact resistance. Hot stamping die steel is expensive, and using split inserts can effectively reduce the overall price of the die without affecting the overall performance of the insert.

[0023] 2. Compared with existing cooling water channel structures, the present invention constructs a conformal cavity cooling water channel, which arranges the water channel on the surface of the insert substrate by milling. Compared with the drilling method, the forming difficulty is greatly reduced. Moreover, this method of arranging the water channel only has two through holes, the inlet and the outlet, eliminating the need to use additional plugs and reducing the risk of leakage.

[0024] 3. The present invention arranges the water channels side by side and designs a certain negative angle at the position of the cooling water groove near the water inlet. After the coolant is introduced, multiple channels can quickly remove the heat of the parts at the same time, eliminating the problem of dead zones in water circulation and achieving uniform and rapid cooling of the parts.

[0025] 4. The present invention features an open cooling channel design. After the mold insert and the base insert are fixed by bolts, the sealing ring is compacted and seals the gap between the two inserts to achieve an overall sealing effect. The cooling water tank and the mold insert cooperate to form a closed cooling channel, and the partition structure between the cooling channels can provide sufficient strength support for the mold insert. After a certain period of use, the mold insert can be disassembled to clean the cooling channel. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of an insert structure based on a warm forming process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an insert substrate based on a warm forming process, as described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0030] 1. Mold insert; 2. Insert base; 3. Cooling water channel groove; 4. First connecting groove; 5. Second connecting groove; 6. Liquid inlet; 7. Liquid outlet; 8. Negative angle groove; 9. Sealing groove; 10. Bolt fixing hole. Detailed Implementation

[0031] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0032] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] An insert structure based on a warm forming process includes an insert base 2 and a die insert 1. The insert base 2 is mounted on the die insert 1. The insert base 2 has protrusions that are inclined on it. The mating surface between the die insert 1 and the insert base 2 is a smooth curved surface formed by geometric optimization after offsetting the die surface by a certain distance. The die insert 1 is made of hot stamping die steel, possessing high temperature resistance and friction resistance. The insert base 2 can be forged from ordinary steel, requiring only a certain strength for impact resistance. Hot stamping die steel is expensive; using a split insert can effectively reduce the overall cost of the die without affecting the overall performance of the insert. The insert base 2 has a cooling structure for cooling. The cooling structure includes cooling channel grooves 3 and connecting grooves. Several cooling channel grooves 3 are evenly and parallelly distributed on the insert base 2. The connecting grooves include a first connecting groove 4 and a second connecting groove 5. The first connecting groove 4 and the second connecting groove 5 are respectively provided on both sides of the cooling channel grooves 3 of the insert base 2.

[0036] One end of the first connecting groove 4 is provided with an inlet 6, and the second connecting groove 5 is provided with an outlet 7. The outlet 7 and the inlet 6 are diagonally opposite each other on the cooling water channel groove 3 of the insert base 2. The inlet 6 is connected to the outlet 7 through the connecting groove and the cooling water channel groove 3. The end of the cooling water channel groove 3 near the inlet 6 is provided with a negative angle groove 8. The angle of the negative angle groove 8 decreases from the side near the inlet 6 to the side away from the inlet 6. The angle between the negative angle groove 8 and the cooling water channel groove 3 is an acute angle, preferably 0-60°. The insert base 2 is provided with a sealing groove 9, which is provided around the insert base 2. The insert base 2 and the mold insert 1 are sealed by a sealing ring provided in the sealing groove 9. The insert base 2 and the mold insert 1 are connected by bolts. Several evenly distributed bolt fixing holes 10 are provided around the insert base 2, and the number of bolt fixing holes 10 on one side of the insert base 2 is at least 2. The angle of inclination of the protrusion is 15-30°.

[0037] A method for preparing an insert structure based on a warm forming process is disclosed. The insert 1 is made of hot stamping die steel, and the insert base 2 is forged from steel. Cooling water channel grooves 3 in the insert base 2 are milled onto the surface of the insert base 2.

[0038] The characteristic of this method is that the mold insert is divided into mold surface insert 1 and insert base 2. Cooling water channel groove 3 that follows the shape of the mold surface is constructed on the insert base 2. By using the cooperation of mold surface insert 1 and insert base 2, the cooling water channel groove 3 forms an independent cooling water channel, realizing the controllability of water flow direction, thereby realizing the control of the cooling rate of sheet metal, and thus obtaining a shaped part with an ideal structure.

[0039] Example 1:

[0040] Taking a typical B-pillar component as an example, the design of the mold insert is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the mold can be divided into two parts: mold face insert 11 and insert base 22. The mating surface of mold face insert 11 and insert base 22 is a smooth curved surface formed by offsetting the mold face by a certain distance and then optimizing the geometry. Mold face insert 1 is made of hot stamping die steel, which has the characteristics of high temperature resistance and friction resistance; insert base 2 can be cast from cast iron, which has a certain strength and impact resistance. Insert base 2 needs to be provided with cooling water channel groove 3, sealing groove 9, water inlet, water outlet and bolt fixing hole 10. After the mold face insert 1 and insert base 2 are bolted, the sealing ring in 2 forms a seal for the overall structure. The cooling water channel and mold face insert 1 cooperate to form a cooling water pipe. After the coolant is introduced into the water inlet, under the action of water pressure and the negative angle inlet of the designed cooling water channel, the water flow in each channel is uniform, which can quickly reduce the mold surface temperature and achieve the purpose of in-mold quenching.

[0041] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A insert structure based on a warm forming process, characterized in that: It includes a base insert (2) and a mold insert (1), with the base insert (2) mounted on the mold insert (1); The insert base (2) is provided with protrusions; the protrusions are obliquely arranged on the insert base (2); The insert substrate (2) is provided with a cooling structure for cooling; The cooling structure includes cooling water channel grooves (3) and connecting grooves. Several cooling water channel grooves (3) are evenly and parallelly distributed on the insert base (2). The connecting grooves include a first connecting groove (4) and a second connecting groove (5). The cooling water channel groove (3) of the insert base (2) is provided with a first connecting groove (4) and a second connecting groove (5) on both sides respectively; one end of the first connecting groove (4) is provided with an inlet (6), and the second connecting groove (5) is provided with an outlet (7). The outlet (7) and the inlet (6) are arranged diagonally opposite to each other on the cooling water channel groove (3) of the insert base (2). The inlet (6) is connected to the outlet (7) through the connecting groove and the cooling water channel groove (3). The cooling water channel groove (3) is provided with a negative angle groove (8) at one end near the liquid inlet (6). The angle of the negative angle groove (8) decreases sequentially from the side near the liquid inlet (6) to the side away from the liquid inlet.

2. The insert structure based on a warm forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the negative angle groove (8) and the cooling water channel groove (3) is an acute angle.

3. The insert structure based on a warm forming process according to claim 2, characterized in that: The acute angle is 0-60°.

4. The insert structure based on a warm forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insert base (2) is provided with a sealing groove (9), which is located around the insert base (2). The insert base (2) and the mold insert (1) are sealed by a sealing ring located in the sealing groove (9).

5. The insert structure based on a warm forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insert base (2) is connected to the mold insert (1) by bolts.

6. The insert structure based on a warm forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insert base (2) has several evenly distributed bolt fixing holes (10) on its four sides, and the number of bolt fixing holes (10) on one side of the insert base (2) is at least 2.

7. The insert structure based on a warm forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle of inclination of the protrusion is 15-30°.

8. A method for preparing a insert structure based on a warm forming process according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that: The mold insert (1) is made of hot stamping die steel, and the insert base (2) is forged from steel. The cooling water channel groove (3) in the insert substrate (2) is set on the surface of the insert substrate (2) by milling.

Images