A method of die forging a leveling block
By using a die forging process and employing multiple sets of molds and supporting processes, the problems of material waste and low efficiency in the traditional manufacturing of level blocks have been solved, achieving efficient and low-cost production and performance improvement of level blocks.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHENYANG BLOWER WORKS GRP INSTALLATION MAINTENANCE FITTINGS
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
Traditional leveling block manufacturing processes suffer from low material utilization, high costs, low efficiency, poor mechanical properties, and environmental problems, resulting in high production costs and bottlenecks in product performance and quality.
By employing a die forging process, and through multiple sets of molds and supporting processes, including billet preparation, forging, quenching and tempering, and finishing, near-net-shape forming and performance improvement can be achieved.
This process achieves material savings, increased efficiency, and improved performance in the manufacturing of level blocks, reducing production costs and enhancing product consistency and mechanical properties.
Smart Images
Figure CN122425446A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of machining, and more specifically, to a die forging process for a level block. Background Technology
[0002] In high-speed rotating machinery such as centrifugal compressors, tilting pad thrust bearings are core components used to balance rotor axial forces and suppress unit vibration. The leveling block, as a key adjustment element of this bearing, functions by finely adjusting its tilt angle to evenly distribute the load on each thrust pad, ensuring stable and efficient bearing operation. Currently, the industry commonly uses the traditional vertical milling process for manufacturing leveling block blanks. Specifically, this involves using milling machines or other cutting equipment to gradually remove excess material from bar or block blanks to obtain the desired contour shape. This pure cutting and blanking manufacturing method has the following inherent drawbacks: extremely low material utilization and high cost: to mill annular leveling blocks from square or round blanks, a large amount of metal needs to be removed, resulting in significant material waste and increased raw material costs. Cumbersome processing steps and low efficiency: typically involving dozens of processes such as turning, milling, drilling, and grinding, leading to long production cycles and high equipment and labor costs. Poor mechanical performance and quality stability: cutting processes interrupt metal flow lines and cannot improve the internal structure of the material, resulting in mechanical properties such as fatigue strength and wear resistance that are often inferior to forgings. Meanwhile, repeated clamping can easily introduce errors, resulting in poor product consistency. Energy consumption and environmental issues: The process of removing materials itself consumes a large amount of electrical energy and generates a large amount of waste, increasing energy consumption and the burden of waste disposal.
[0003] Therefore, the aforementioned traditional manufacturing methods result in high production costs for leveling blocks, and product performance and quality remain bottlenecks, severely restricting their market competitiveness. To solve these problems, a new manufacturing process that can overcome the drawbacks of machining is needed. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In view of the above situation, this application provides a die forging process for a level block, which aims to solve the above problems or at least partially solve the above problems.
[0005] A die forging process for a leveling block includes: preparing a billet based on the target dimensions of the target leveling block; The blank is forged using a pre-set mold to obtain the original level block; The original leveling block is subjected to conditioned treatment to obtain a conditioned leveling block; Based on the pre-set processing dimensions, the tempered leveling block is processed to obtain the target leveling block.
[0006] Furthermore, the billet is forged based on a pre-set mold to obtain an original level block, including: preheating the billet and the first mold; The preheated billet is placed in the first mold for staged forging to obtain the basic forging; The basic forging is placed in the second mold for deflashing. The base forging after removing the flash is shot peened. The shot-peened base forging is placed in the third mold for shaping to obtain the original leveling block.
[0007] Furthermore, the staged forging process includes multiple forging sub-stages, with the equipment output power set for each forging sub-stage.
[0008] Furthermore, the multiple forging sub-stages are arranged in chronological order, and the output power of the equipment corresponding to the multiple forging sub-stages increases sequentially.
[0009] Furthermore, preheating the blank and the first mold includes: Preheat the first mold to a first temperature range; The billet is preheated within a pre-set second temperature range and held at that temperature for a first duration; The first temperature range is smaller than the second temperature range.
[0010] Furthermore, the temperature of the base forging is within the third temperature range during the deflashing process.
[0011] Furthermore, when the shot-peened base forging is placed in the third mold for shaping, the temperature of the base forging is within the fourth temperature range, and it is kept at that temperature for a second duration.
[0012] Furthermore, the original leveling block is subjected to a conditioning process to obtain a conditioned leveling block, including: The original leveling block is subjected to heat treatment, which includes heating to the tempering temperature and holding at that temperature for a specified duration. The original leveling block after heat treatment is then subjected to water cooling. The original level block after water cooling is subjected to tempering treatment, which includes heating to the tempering temperature and holding it at that temperature for a specified duration. The hardness of the original leveling block after tempering is tested. When the hardness meets the preset hardness condition, the tempered leveling block is obtained.
[0013] Furthermore, the size of the first mold is larger than the size of the third mold, and the size of the third mold is larger than the size of the level block forging.
[0014] Furthermore, the dimensional shrinkage of the first mold ranges from 1.0% to 1.2%; the dimensional shrinkage of the third mold ranges from 0.2% to 0.5%.
[0015] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention include at least the following: This invention employs multiple sets of molds and supporting processes, enabling the manufacturing process of leveling block parts with specific precision requirements and annular thin-walled structures to save materials, improve efficiency, and enhance performance. Attached Figure Description
[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are provided to further understand this application and constitute a part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application.
[0017] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a die forging process for a leveling block according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0019] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the term "comprising" and its variations should be interpreted as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to."
[0020] The technical solutions provided by the various embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, a die forging process for a leveling block includes the following steps: Step S1: Preparing a billet based on the target dimensions of the target leveling block; Step S2: Forging the billet using a pre-set die to obtain a raw leveling block; Step S3: Performing a quenching and tempering treatment on the raw leveling block to obtain a quenched and tempered leveling block; Step S4: Processing the quenched and tempered leveling block according to pre-set processing dimensions to obtain the target leveling block.
[0022] This application discloses a die forging process for a level block. By employing multiple sets of molds and supporting processes, the manufacturing process of level block parts with specific precision requirements and annular thin-walled structures can save materials, improve efficiency, and enhance performance.
[0023] Step S1: Prepare the billet based on the target dimensions of the target level block. For billet inspection and cutting, a No. 45 steel ingot with dimensions of φ159×φ117×24 is selected as the original billet. Before cutting, the billet is inspected to confirm that there are no obvious pits, cracks, or foreign inclusions on the surface. For the qualified billet, it is cut according to the preset dimensions. This dimension is close to the dimensions of the target level block, thereby achieving near-net-shape forming of the raw material.
[0024] Step S2: Forging the billet based on a pre-set mold to obtain the original level block. Near-net-shape forming is achieved through multiple sets of molds.
[0025] Step S3: The original leveling block is subjected to heat treatment to obtain a heat-treated leveling block. The heat treatment improves the internal properties of the original leveling block to obtain the required strength.
[0026] Step S4: Based on the preset processing dimensions, process the tempered leveling block to obtain the target leveling block. Perform final processing on the tempered leveling block to achieve the required dimensions, hardness, and quality of the target leveling block.
[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, in step S2, the billet is forged based on a pre-set mold to obtain an original leveling block. This includes preheating the billet and the first mold, placing the preheated billet in the first mold for staged forging to obtain a basic forging, placing the basic forging in a second mold for flash removal, performing shot peening on the flash-removed basic forging, and placing the shot-peened basic forging in a third mold for shaping to obtain the original leveling block.
[0028] In step S2, the billet is forged using a pre-set die to obtain the original leveling block. To ensure the smooth progress of the forging process and the quality of the forging, the billet and the first die need to be preheated. The preheated first die is then installed on the hydraulic forging hammer before forging. The billet is then placed in a resistance heating furnace and heated to the forging temperature to ensure uniform temperature inside and outside the billet, achieving a good plastic state.
[0029] In one embodiment, when the ambient temperature is low, auxiliary heating metal blocks or other methods can be placed on the mold to keep the forging hammer warm and maintain a stable forging environment.
[0030] In one embodiment, the first die is a hot forging die.
[0031] After preheating, the high-temperature billet is placed in the preheated first mold cavity, and the hydraulic forging hammer is activated for forging. This process employs staged forging to achieve precise control over metal flow and internal quality, resulting in a basic forging. After forging, an excess flash will form around the basic forging. This flash is removed by placing the basic forging with flash into the second mold. The flash is then separated and removed from the body using the second mold, resulting in a flash-free basic forging.
[0032] In one embodiment, the second mold is a cutting and punching mold, specifically a trimming mold.
[0033] After deflashing, the surface of the base forging will be covered with a layer of oxide scale, requiring surface cleaning. After cooling to room temperature, the base forging is shot-peened. Following shot peening, a shaping operation is performed, reheating the shot-peened base forging to achieve a good plastic state. The shot-peened base forging is then placed in a third mold, the cavity size of which is equal to the target size of the level block. Through the operation of the third mold, the base forging is further plasticized, and after shaping, the original level block is obtained.
[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the staged forging process includes multiple forging sub-stages, and the equipment output power in each forging sub-stage is set accordingly.
[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the multiple forging sub-stages are arranged in chronological order, and the output power of the equipment corresponding to the multiple forging sub-stages increases sequentially.
[0036] The first stage uses a lower power output, with 60% to 75% of full power for initial forging. The second stage increases the power output to a medium level, with 80% to 90% of full power for forging. The third stage uses an output close to or reaching over 95% of the rated maximum power for final forging. The entire forging process typically lasts for 3 to 5 hammer blows until a basic forging with a complete shape and clear outline is obtained.
[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, preheating the billet and the first mold includes preheating the first mold to a first temperature range, preheating the billet within a pre-set second temperature range, and holding it at that temperature for a first time, wherein the first temperature range is less than the second temperature range.
[0038] To ensure the smooth progress of the forging process and the quality of the forgings, the billet and the first die need to be preheated. First, the first die is preheated in a holding furnace to a first temperature range of 200-400℃. Then, the billet is placed in a resistance heating furnace with a furnace temperature uniformity of ±10℃, heated to a second temperature range of 1080~1150℃, and held for a first time of 2-3 hours to ensure uniform temperature inside and outside the billet and achieve a good plastic state.
[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the temperature of the base forging is in the third temperature range during the deflashing process.
[0040] The base forging with flash is placed in the second mold. To prevent the material from becoming brittle at low temperatures, the temperature of the base forging is in the third temperature range, specifically greater than or equal to 400℃.
[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, when the shot-peened base forging is placed in the third mold for shaping, the temperature of the base forging is in the fourth temperature range and is kept at that temperature for a second duration.
[0042] The shot-peened base forging is placed in the third mold, heated to a fourth temperature range of 1050℃ and held for a second time of 30 minutes to make the base forging ductile.
[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, step S3 involves quenching and tempering the original leveling block to obtain a quenched and tempered leveling block. This includes: heating the original leveling block to a quenching and tempering temperature and holding it at that temperature for a specified time; water-cooling the heated original leveling block; tempering the water-cooled original leveling block to a tempering temperature and holding it at that temperature for a specified time; and testing the hardness of the tempered original leveling block. When the hardness meets a preset hardness condition, the quenched and tempered leveling block is obtained.
[0044] In step S3: The original leveling block is quenched and tempered to obtain a quenched and tempered leveling block. The original leveling block is heated to a quenching and tempering temperature of 950°C and held at this temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. After the holding time, the original leveling block is water-cooled by continuous movement in water for uniform cooling. The water-cooled original leveling block is then placed in a tempering furnace and reheated to a tempering temperature of 500°C and held at this temperature for 2 hours. After the tempered original leveling block cools to room temperature, when its hardness value reaches the range of 180-240 HB, the quenched and tempered leveling block is obtained.
[0045] like Figure 1As shown, the size of the first mold is larger than the size of the third mold, and the size of the third mold is larger than the size of the level block forging.
[0046] The cavity size of the first mold is the largest, exceeding the target level block size at room temperature. The cavity size of the third mold is intermediate, also exceeding the target level block size but smaller than the first mold's cavity size at room temperature. The reduction in mold size is to compensate for the temperature drop and initial shrinkage of the base forging itself during the period from the end of forging to the start of shaping.
[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the dimensional shrinkage of the first mold ranges from 1.0% to 1.2%; the dimensional shrinkage of the third mold ranges from 0.2% to 0.5%.
[0048] Mold shrinkage refers to the reduction in product size compared to the mold cavity size as the thermoplastic material cools from a molten state to room temperature after molding in a mold. It is usually expressed as a shrinkage rate (percentage) or absolute shrinkage (length difference). The shrinkage rate is calculated as follows: Shrinkage Rate = (Mold Cavity Size - Actual Finished Product Size) / Mold Cavity Size × 100%. For example, if the mold cavity is designed to be 100mm, and the finished product measures 99mm after cooling, then the shrinkage rate is 1%, and the absolute shrinkage is 1mm.
[0049] Therefore, the dimensional shrinkage of the first mold relative to the target level block in this application ranges from 1.0% to 1.2%, and the dimensional shrinkage of the third mold relative to the target level block ranges from 0.2% to 0.5%.
[0050] Specifically, the process of using this method is as follows: First, non-destructive testing.
[0051] Seamless steel pipes made of No. 45 steel, used as raw material for forging, are inspected. Only after passing tests for composition, inclusions, and ultrasonic testing can the material be cut into blanks. Internal defects such as inclusions, cracks, and porosity are checked to ensure the integrity of the material's internal structure. Only materials that pass these tests can proceed to the blanking process.
[0052] Second, feeding the materials.
[0053] The qualified blanking steel pipes are 45# steel ingots with dimensions of φ159×φ117×24, ensuring that they are free from obvious pits, cracks and foreign inclusions and other surface defects.
[0054] Third, mold preparation.
[0055] There are three main types of molds: (1) The first mold is a hot forging mold, which is suitable for forging at high temperature. Its size shrinkage range is between 1.0 and 1.2%. The corners of the mold are designed with R3 rounded corner transition.
[0056] (2) The second mold is a cutting and punching mold, specifically a trimming mold, which is mainly used to cut the flash of forged parts.
[0057] (3) The third mold is a shaping mold. In order to meet the size and form and position tolerance requirements, the forged parts need to be shaped. The size shrinkage of the shaping mold is between 0.2% and 0.5%.
[0058] Fourth, the forging process.
[0059] The first mold is placed in a preheating oven and heated to 200-400℃. In environments with lower room temperatures, auxiliary heating metal blocks should also be placed on the mold. The billet is placed in a resistance heating box-type resistance furnace and heated to a temperature range of 1080~1150℃, and held at that temperature for 2-3 hours. The furnace temperature uniformity is controlled within ±10℃ to ensure that the billet temperature is uniform and reaches a plastic state.
[0060] The preheated billet is quickly placed into the hot forging die, and the hydraulic forging hammer is started. Forging is carried out in stages: the power output is 60%~75% in the first stage, 80%~90% in the second stage, and more than 95% in the third stage. A total of 3-5 hammer blows are performed to obtain the basic forging.
[0061] The basic forging is trimmed. The trimming is done using a second die, which is a cutting and punching die. Specifically, it is a trimming die. The temperature of the basic forging is required to be greater than or equal to 400℃ during trimming.
[0062] After trimming, the base forging is cooled to room temperature, and then shot peening is performed on the forging to remove the oxide scale on the surface.
[0063] Finally, the base forging is heated to 1050℃ and held for 30 minutes for a shaping operation. The third mold is used as the shaping mold, and the original level block is obtained after shaping.
[0064] Fifth, conditioning treatment.
[0065] The original level block was heated to 950℃ and held for 30-60 minutes, followed by water cooling. The tempering temperature was 500℃ and the holding time was 2 hours. After the tempered original level block cooled to room temperature, the hardness of the original level block was measured to be 180-240 HB.
[0066] Sixth, fine processing.
[0067] The original leveling blocks were then subjected to final fine processing according to the required dimensions.
[0068] Seventh, inspection and warehousing.
[0069] Check the dimensions of the forgings as required, and put them into storage after they meet the dimensional requirements.
[0070] This invention employs multiple sets of molds and supporting processes, enabling the manufacturing process of leveling block parts with specific precision requirements and annular thin-walled structures to save materials, improve efficiency, and enhance performance.
[0071] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A die forging process for a leveling block, characterized in that, include: The blank is prepared based on the target size of the target leveling block; The blank is forged using a pre-set mold to obtain the original level block; The original leveling block is subjected to conditioned treatment to obtain a conditioned leveling block; Based on the pre-set processing dimensions, the tempered leveling block is processed to obtain the target leveling block.
2. The die forging process method for a leveling block according to claim 1, characterized in that, The blank is forged using a pre-set mold to obtain an original leveling block, comprising: The blank and the first mold are preheated; The preheated billet is placed in the first mold for staged forging to obtain the basic forging; The basic forging is placed in the second mold for deflashing. The base forging after removing the flash is shot peened. The shot-peened base forging is placed in the third mold for shaping to obtain the original leveling block.
3. The die forging process method for the leveling block according to claim 2, characterized in that, The staged forging process includes multiple forging sub-stages, with the equipment output power set for each forging sub-stage.
4. The die forging process method for the leveling block according to claim 3, characterized in that, The multiple forging sub-stages are arranged in chronological order, and the output power of the equipment corresponding to the multiple forging sub-stages increases sequentially.
5. The die forging process method for the leveling block according to claim 2, characterized in that, Preheating the blank and the first mold includes: Preheat the first mold to a first temperature range; The billet is preheated within a pre-set second temperature range and held at that temperature for a first duration; The first temperature range is smaller than the second temperature range.
6. The die forging process method for the leveling block according to claim 2, characterized in that, The temperature of the base forging is in the third temperature range during the deflashing process.
7. The die forging process method for the leveling block according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the shot-peened base forging is placed in the third mold for shaping, the temperature of the base forging is in the fourth temperature range, and it is kept at that temperature for a second duration.
8. The die forging process method for the leveling block according to claim 1, characterized in that, The original leveling block is subjected to conditioned treatment to obtain a conditioned leveling block, comprising: The original leveling block is subjected to heat treatment, which includes heating to the tempering temperature and holding at that temperature for a specified duration. The original leveling block after heat treatment is then subjected to water cooling. The original level block after water cooling is subjected to tempering treatment, which includes heating to the tempering temperature and holding it at that temperature for a specified duration. The hardness of the original leveling block after tempering is tested. When the hardness meets the preset hardness condition, the tempered leveling block is obtained.
9. The die forging process method for a leveling block according to claim 2, characterized in that, The size of the first mold is larger than the size of the third mold, and the size of the third mold is larger than the size of the level block forging.
10. The die forging process method for the leveling block according to any one of claims 2 or 9, characterized in that, The dimensional shrinkage of the first mold ranges from 1.0% to 1.2%; the dimensional shrinkage of the third mold ranges from 0.2% to 0.5%.