Forging device for gear machining with temperature monitoring function
By using step-by-step forging and regional controlled resistance heating, the problem of low strength in the forging process of small gears was solved, achieving efficient and uniform metallographic structure and strength testing, thus improving the overall performance of the gears.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511553139.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-27
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-10-29
AI Technical Summary
In the existing technology, small gears suffer from large deformation and uneven metallographic structure during the forging process, resulting in low gear strength and easy tooth breakage.
A step-by-step forging process is adopted, using resistance heating and infrared probes to monitor the temperature. Through multi-step continuous forging and regionally controlled resistance heating, the uniformity of the metallographic structure is ensured. A variable diameter shaft is used for strength testing to avoid defects caused by excessive deformation at one time.
This improved the strength and fracture strength of small gears, reduced the production of defective products, lowered subsequent processing costs, and enabled efficient forging production.
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Figure CN121017451B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of gear processing forging equipment technology, specifically a forging device for gear processing with temperature monitoring function. Background Technology
[0002] Gears are widely used transmission components. Gear drives are used in precision transmission applications because they offer good stability, rigid transmission, and a wide load range.
[0003] In existing technologies, large gear blanks are generally produced by forging, and then the tooth surfaces are machined using gear shaping and tooth raising methods. Small gears, on the other hand, are generally machined by directly shaping metal blocks. In this case, the metal blocks are usually cast ingots with average mechanical strength, and the resulting gears can only handle general loads. For applications with large load fluctuations, higher-grade materials are required, increasing costs. Under the same material selection, forging is the main means of improving the mechanical properties of small gears. Small gears with a diameter of less than 50mm are generally manufactured by forging the raw material block in one go after heating it to the forging point. This results in large deformation, and the material connection between the teeth is not very precise, leading to severe metallographic decoupling, which affects the overall strength. Occasionally, individual teeth may break due to low strength. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the forging process to obtain gears with uniform strength. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a solution to the problems raised in the prior art.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:
[0006] A forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function. The forging apparatus includes a first forging machine, a second forging machine, a robot, and a test table. The first forging machine processes a hollow cylindrical raw material block into an intermediate body. The second forging machine is placed next to the first forging machine and processes the intermediate body into a gear-shaped formed body. The test table is placed next to the second forging machine and tests the tooth root toughness during the meshing process of the formed body. The robot is set between the first forging machine, the second forging machine, and the test table for transferring workpieces.
[0007] The raw material block is processed into a shaped body in stages to avoid large deformation and metallographic and surface defects caused by a single forging process. The shapes of the intermediate body and the shaped body are adapted by modifying the forming cavities in the first and second forging machines. Multi-step continuous operation is used for continuous forging production. Small gear forging production achieves higher strength. The test bench is an auxiliary device of this unit. After the forging process, the shaped body obtained has basically become the shape of the final gear. Only heat treatment, tooth surface fine grinding, and keyway machining are required. Before these steps, the tooth root toughness of the gear can be checked to avoid mechanical defects in some forging parts that would waste subsequent process efforts. The test bench fixes the shaped body and then uses a gear that meshes with it to apply power to simply check whether the tooth root is under good stress. It should be noted that the shaped body has not yet been heat treated and its mechanical properties have not been fully improved. Therefore, it is not necessary to test it with the force of the gear's working condition.
[0008] The raw material block is heated to the forging point using resistance heating. The electrodes for resistance heating are set in the first forging machine and the second forging machine. The first forging machine and the second forging machine are equipped with infrared probes to identify the temperature of the raw material block and intermediate during the heating process.
[0009] Electric heating is convenient to implement in most workshop environments, while flame furnace heating can cause the workshop temperature to become too high, affecting surrounding machines and resulting in heat loss.
[0010] The forging machine includes a machine body, flywheel, upper die, lower die, and electrical box. The flywheel is installed on the side of the machine body. The upper and lower dies are installed in the machine body, one above the other. The upper die is slidably installed in the vertical direction. The electrical box is located on the side of the machine body. The electrical box supplies power to the electrodes on the upper and lower dies that are in contact with the raw material block and perform resistance heating. The flywheel accumulates kinetic energy through mechanical or electric drive and transfers it to the upper die when the upper die forges the raw material block downwards.
[0011] The flywheel can store kinetic energy. The accumulated small-power input can be used to forge the workpiece by moving the upper die downwards, replacing the relatively complex but powerful hydraulic drive. The raw material block is placed into the main die cavity within the lower die. Then, the upper die moves downwards to press the raw material block down. Electrodes on the upper and lower dies energize and heat the raw material block to the forging temperature. The upper die then rises again and forges the raw material block downwards with greater kinetic energy, shaping it into an intermediate body. The shape of the intermediate body matches the shape of the main die cavity. The internal structure of the second forging machine is the same as the first forging machine, except that the shape of the die cavity when the upper and lower dies are aligned needs to be replaced with the shape of the formed body. This can be achieved through detachable upper and lower dies.
[0012] The forging device also includes a top electrode and a bottom electrode. The top electrode is located at the center of the lower surface of the upper die, and the bottom electrode is located at the center of the bottom surface of the main die cavity inside the lower die. Both the top electrode and the bottom electrode are electrically connected to the electrical box.
[0013] The top and bottom electrodes contact the raw material block from above and below and are heated by electricity until the infrared probe detects that the raw material block has reached a suitable temperature.
[0014] The forging device also includes an outer electrode, which is a plurality of which are respectively disposed at multiple pointed ends in the radial direction of the main die cavity. The outer electrode is electrically connected to the electrical box.
[0015] After the raw material block is forged into an intermediate body, the metal structure that needs to be deformed during the forging process of the intermediate body into the final product is concentrated at the outer edge. This is because, compared to casting, the improvement in the mechanical properties of the workpiece by forging is mainly due to the stretching and tensioning of the metallographic structure during forging. Within a large metallographic range, there is continuous uniformity of the material, and the materials are interlocked and tightly bound together over a large area, making them less prone to local breakage and macroscopic fracture. In this scenario, the inner ring of the gear only serves a supporting and connecting function. The forging and continuous distribution on the material of the gear tooth tip and root allows the tooth tip and root to have what is called a "trace" within the metallographic structure. The "line" improves the fracture strength of the tooth root. In this application, the outer edge electrode is used to perform regional controlled resistance heating of the intermediate body. If only two adjacent outer edge electrodes are energized, then most of the current will flow along the outer contour of the intermediate body between the two teeth. The temperature rise in this area is larger than that in other areas. Similarly, this means that the core of the intermediate body will have a smaller temperature rise and the outer contour will have a higher temperature rise. As a result, when the intermediate body is transferred to the second forging machine for forging, the deformation of the metal part of the core of the intermediate body is reduced, and the forging deformation at the outer edge is increased, which increases the migration of material in the circumferential direction, making the outer surface of the formed body a single unit and improving the local strength at the tooth root.
[0016] The main mold cavity is formed into a saw gear with a central depression. When the intermediate body is forged from the raw material block, the central position is compressed more to form a recessed area, while the outer edge is relatively thicker. When heated by the outer edge electrode, the thicker position is the heating position where more deformation is expected. Then, the intermediate body is forged into a formed body with uniform thickness in the second forging machine.
[0017] The forging apparatus also includes an electrical module, which supplies short-term high-voltage current to the electrical box.
[0018] Industrial electricity of 220V or 380V is not effective for direct electric heating of workpieces and requires adjustment of the power supply.
[0019] The electrical module includes a transformer and a capacitor bank. The transformer is energized and charges the capacitor bank. The capacitor bank, after being distributed by the electrical box, supplies short-term high-voltage current to the top electrode, bottom electrode, and outer electrode.
[0020] After being charged, the capacitor box maintains a high voltage state, and then briefly releases it onto the raw material block or intermediate to achieve heating when needed, before being charged again by the transformer.
[0021] The top electrode uses a corrugated conduit harness when it comes out of the upper mold and enters the electrical box, while the bottom electrode and outer edge electrode use rigid conduit harnesses when they come out of the lower mold and enter the electrical box. The corrugated conduit harness maintains high harness strength to prevent ordinary cables from drooping down and affecting the lifting and lowering movement of the upper mold.
[0022] The test bench uses a variable-diameter shaft that is inserted into the molded body to be tested. The variable-diameter shaft and the molded body are tightened and driven together for testing.
[0023] The inner ring of the molded body is circular and has not yet been machined with a keyway for transmission. Therefore, a relatively convenient transmission method for the test bench is to use a variable diameter shaft that forms an interference fit with the inner ring of the molded body to simply transmit power.
[0024] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: This application prevents defects caused by excessive deformation at one time by forging and deforming small raw material blocks in multiple steps. After obtaining the intermediate body, the outer edge of the intermediate body is heated so that the material that finally becomes the tooth surface in the second forging process is based on the original outer edge material. The metallographic structure is precisely connected, resulting in high tooth root strength and preventing tooth breakage during subsequent use of the gear. The heating of the intermediate body is achieved through the outer edge electrode of its forming mold cavity. The heating position is adjusted purposefully to obtain the expected material deformation direction. The heating process is monitored by an infrared probe to prevent the temperature from deviating from the expected value. The forged gear undergoes strength testing to promptly remove unqualified products and prevent waste of subsequent heat treatment and internal hole machining time. Attached Figure Description
[0025] Figure 1 This is a front view of the arrangement of the present invention;
[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the present invention;
[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the first forging machine of the present invention;
[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Partial view A in the middle;
[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the representative shapes of the raw material block, intermediate body, and molded body processed according to the present invention;
[0030] Figure 6 This is a top view of the main mold cavity of the present invention;
[0031] In the diagram: 1. First forging machine; 11. Machine body; 12. Flywheel; 13. Upper die; 14. Lower die; 141. Main die cavity; 15. Electrical box; 2. Second forging machine; 3. Robot arm; 4. Electrical module; 41. Transformer; 42. Capacitor box; 51. Top electrode; 52. Bottom electrode; 53. Outer electrode; 54. Corrugated pipe harness; 6. Test bench; 91. Raw material block; 92. Intermediate body; 93. Molded body. Detailed Implementation
[0032] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0033] A forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function. The forging apparatus includes a first forging machine 1, a second forging machine 2, a robot arm 3, and a test table 6. The first forging machine 1 processes a hollow cylindrical raw material block 91 into an intermediate body 92. The second forging machine 2 is placed next to the first forging machine 1 and processes the intermediate body 92 into a gear-shaped formed body 93. The test table 6 is placed next to the second forging machine 2 and tests the root toughness of the gear 93 during the meshing process. The robot arm 3 is set between the first forging machine 1, the second forging machine 2, and the test table 6 for transferring workpieces.
[0034] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figure 5, the raw material block 91 is processed into the shaped body 93 in steps to avoid large deformation in a single forging process, which could lead to metallographic and surface defects. The shapes of the intermediate body 92 and the shaped body 93 are adapted by modifying the forming cavities in the first forging machine 1 and the second forging machine 2. Continuous forging production is carried out through multi-step continuous operation. Small gear forging production achieves higher strength. The test bench is an auxiliary device of this apparatus. After the forging process, the shaped body 93 obtained has basically become the shape of the final gear, requiring only heat treatment, tooth surface grinding, and keyway machining. Before these steps, the tooth root toughness of the gear can be checked to avoid mechanical defects in some forging parts, which would waste subsequent process effort. The test bench fixes the shaped body 93 and then uses a gear meshing with it to apply power to simply check whether the tooth root is under good stress. It should be noted that the shaped body 93 has not yet been heat treated, and its mechanical properties have not been fully improved. Therefore, it is not necessary to test it using the force of the gear's operating conditions.
[0035] The raw material block 91 is heated to the forging point by resistance heating. The electrodes for resistance heating are set in the first forging machine 1 and the second forging machine 2. The first forging machine 1 and the second forging machine 2 are equipped with infrared probes to identify the temperature of the raw material block 91 and the intermediate 92 during the heating process.
[0036] Electric heating is convenient to implement in most workshop environments, while flame furnace heating can cause the workshop temperature to become too high, affecting surrounding machines and resulting in heat loss.
[0037] The first forging machine 1 includes a machine body 11, a flywheel 12, an upper die 13, a lower die 14, and an electrical box 15. The flywheel 12 is installed on the side of the machine body 11. The upper die 13 and the lower die 14 are arranged opposite each other inside the machine body 11. The upper die 13 is slidably installed in the vertical direction. The electrical box 15 is located on the side of the machine body 11. The electrical box 15 supplies power to the electrodes on the upper die 13 and the lower die 14 that are in contact with the raw material block 91 and are subjected to resistance heating. The flywheel 12 accumulates kinetic energy through mechanical or electric drive and transfers it to the upper die 13 when the upper die 13 forges the raw material block 91 downward.
[0038] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figure 4, the flywheel 12 can accumulate kinetic energy. After accumulating a small power input, it can be used for the upper die 13 to move downwards and forge the workpiece, replacing the relatively complex but powerful hydraulic drive. The raw material block 91 is placed into the main die cavity 141 in the lower die 14. Then, the upper die 13 moves downwards to press down on the raw material block 91. Electrodes set on the upper die 13 and lower die 14 energize and heat the raw material block 91 to the forging temperature point. Then, the upper die 13 is raised again and forges the raw material block 91 downwards with greater kinetic energy, making it into an intermediate body 92. The shape of the intermediate body 92 fits the shape of the main die cavity 141. The internal structure of the second forging machine 2 is the same as that of the first forging machine 1, except that the shape of the die cavity when the upper and lower dies are aligned needs to be replaced with the shape of the formed body 93. This can be changed by using the detachable upper die 13 and lower die 14.
[0039] The forging device also includes a top electrode 51 and a bottom electrode 52. The top electrode 51 is located at the center of the lower surface of the upper die 13, and the bottom electrode 52 is located at the center of the bottom surface of the main die cavity 141 inside the lower die 14. Both the top electrode 51 and the bottom electrode 52 are electrically connected to the electrical box 15.
[0040] like Figure 3 , 4 As shown in Figure 5, the top electrode 51 and the bottom electrode 52 contact the raw material block 91 from the top and bottom directions and are heated by electricity until the infrared probe detects that the raw material block 91 has been heated to a suitable temperature.
[0041] The forging device also includes an outer electrode 53, which has several parts and is respectively disposed at multiple pointed ends in the radial direction of the main die cavity 141. The outer electrode 53 is electrically connected to the electrical box 15.
[0042] like Figure 4 , 5As shown in Figure 6, after the raw material block 91 is forged into an intermediate body 92, the metal structure that needs to be deformed in the forging process of the intermediate body 92 into the formed body 93 is concentrated at the outer edge. This is because, compared with the casting process, the improvement of the mechanical properties of the workpiece by forging is mainly due to the fact that the metallographic structure is stretched during the forging process, and there is continuous uniformity of the material within a large metallographic structure range. The materials are interlocked and tightly bound together over a large area, making it difficult to be broken locally and cause macroscopic fracture. In this case, the inner ring of the gear only serves as a support and connection. The forging and continuous distribution on the material of the gear tooth tip and tooth root allows the tooth tip and tooth root to have so-called "traces" in the metallographic structure, which improves the fracture strength of the tooth root. In this application, the outer electrode 53 is used to perform regionally controlled resistance heating of the intermediate body 92, such as... Figure 6 As shown, if only two adjacent outer edge electrodes 53 are energized, then most of the current will flow along the outer contour of the intermediate body 92 between the two teeth. The temperature rises more in this area and less in other areas. Similarly, this means that the core of the intermediate body 92 will have a smaller temperature rise and the outer contour will have a higher temperature rise. Thus, when the intermediate body 92 is transferred to the second forging machine 2 for forging, the deformation of the metal part of the core of the intermediate body 92 will be reduced, while the forging deformation at the outer edge will be increased. This increases the migration of material in the circumferential direction, making the outer surface of the formed body 93 a single unit and improving the local strength at the tooth root.
[0043] The main mold cavity 141 is molded in the shape of a sawtooth with a central recess. For example... Figure 5 As shown, when the intermediate body 92 is forged from the raw material block 91, the middle position is squeezed more to become a concave area, and the outer edge position is relatively thicker. When heated by the outer edge electrode 53, the thicker position is the heating position where more deformation is expected to occur. Then, the intermediate body 92 is forged into a shaped body 93 with uniform thickness in the second forging machine 2.
[0044] The forging apparatus also includes an electric module 4, which supplies short-term high-voltage current to the electrical box 15.
[0045] Industrial electricity of 220V or 380V is not effective for direct electric heating of workpieces and requires adjustment of the power supply.
[0046] The electrical module 4 includes a transformer 41 and a capacitor box 42. The transformer 41 is energized and charges the capacitor box 42. The capacitor box 42, after being distributed by the electrical box 15, supplies short-term high-voltage current to the top electrode 51, bottom electrode 52 and outer electrode 53.
[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, after the capacitor box 42 is charged, it maintains a high voltage state, and then briefly releases it onto the raw material block 91 or intermediate 92 to achieve heating when needed, and then is charged again by the transformer 41.
[0048] The top electrode 51 uses a corrugated conduit harness as it is led out from the upper mold 13 and enters the electrical box 15. The bottom electrode 52 and the outer edge electrode 53 use rigid conduit harnesses as they are led out from the lower mold 14 and enter the electrical box 15. The corrugated conduit harness maintains high harness strength to prevent ordinary cables from drooping down and affecting the lifting and lowering movement of the upper mold 13.
[0049] The test bench 6 uses a variable diameter shaft that is inserted into the molded body 93 to be tested. The variable diameter shaft and the molded body 93 are tightened and driven together for testing.
[0050] The inner ring of the molded body 93 is circular and has not yet been machined with a keyway for transmission. Therefore, a relatively convenient transmission method for the test bench 6 is to use a variable diameter shaft that forms an interference fit with the inner ring of the molded body 93 to simply transmit power.
[0051] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function, characterized in that: The forging apparatus includes a first forging machine (1), a second forging machine (2), a robot (3), and a test bench (6). The first forging machine (1) processes a hollow cylindrical raw material block (91) into an intermediate body (92). The second forging machine (2) is placed next to the first forging machine (1) and processes the intermediate body (92) into a gear-shaped formed body (93). The test bench (6) is placed next to the second forging machine (2) and tests the tooth root toughness of the formed body (93) during the meshing process. The robot (3) is set between the first forging machine (1), the second forging machine (2), and the test bench (6) for transferring workpieces. The raw material block (91) is heated to the forging point by resistance heating, and the resistance heating electrodes are set in the first forging machine (1) and the second forging machine (2); The first forging machine (1) includes a machine body (11), an upper die (13), a lower die (14), and an electrical box (15). The upper die (13) and the lower die (14) are arranged opposite each other inside the machine body (11). The upper die (13) is slidably installed in the vertical direction. The electrical box (15) is located on the side of the machine body (11). The electrical box (15) supplies power to the electrodes on the upper die (13) and the lower die (14) that are in contact with the raw material block (91) and perform resistance heating. The forging device also includes a top electrode (51) and a bottom electrode (52). The top electrode (51) is located at the center of the lower surface of the upper die (13), and the bottom electrode (52) is located at the center of the bottom surface of the main die cavity (141) inside the lower die (14). Both the top electrode (51) and the bottom electrode (52) are electrically connected to the electrical box (15). The forging device also includes an outer electrode (53), which has a plurality of electrodes and is respectively disposed at multiple pointed ends in the radial direction of the main die cavity (141). The outer electrode (53) is electrically connected to the electrical box (15). The first forging machine (1) and the second forging machine (2) are equipped with infrared probes to identify the temperature of the raw material block (91) and intermediate (92) during the heating process; The main mold cavity (141) is molded into a saw gear with a central recess; The internal structure of the second forging machine (2) is the same as that of the first forging machine (1), except that the shape of the mold cavity when the upper and lower dies are aligned needs to be replaced with the shape of the forming body (93); When the intermediate body (92) is forged from the raw material block (91), the middle part is squeezed more to form a concave area, while the outer edge is relatively thicker. Then, the intermediate body (92) is forged into a uniformly thick shaped body (93) in the second forging machine (2).
2. The forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first forging machine (1) also includes a flywheel (12). The flywheel (12) is provided on the side of the machine body (11). The flywheel (12) accumulates kinetic energy through mechanical or electric drive and transmits it to the upper die (13) when the upper die (13) forges the raw material block (91) downward.
3. The forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The forging device also includes an electric module (4), which supplies short-term high-voltage current to the electrical box (15).
4. A forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function according to claim 3, characterized in that: The electrical module (4) includes a transformer (41) and a capacitor box (42). The transformer (41) is connected to the power supply and charges the capacitor box (42). The capacitor box (42) supplies short-term high-voltage current to the top electrode (51), bottom electrode (52) and outer electrode (53) after being distributed by the power box (15).
5. A forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top electrode (51) is led out from the upper mold (13) and enters the electrical box (15) using a corrugated wire harness, while the bottom electrode (52) and outer edge electrode (53) are led out from the lower mold (14) and enter the electrical box (15) using a rigid conduit.
6. A forging apparatus for gear processing with temperature monitoring function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The test bench (6) uses a variable diameter shaft to pass through the molded body (93) to be tested. The variable diameter shaft and the molded body (93) are tightened and driven together for testing.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Cutting pick body forging and pressing forming equipment
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