Alloy Ingot Surface Coating for Crack-Resistant Hot Working
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Solution Overview
Problem
Alloy ingots, particularly crack-sensitive alloys like nickel base, iron base, and cobalt base alloys, experience high incidence of surface cracking during hot working operations due to thermal gradients and low ductility, leading to low production yields.
Innovation Solution
A metallic material layer is deposited onto the surface of the alloy ingot, which is more ductile and malleable than the underlying alloy, to insulate the ingot from dies and prevent cooling to brittle temperatures, thereby reducing surface cracking during hot working processes such as forging and extrusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metallic material layer is deposited onto the surface of the alloy ingot, then surface cracking is reduced during hot working, but the process complexity and manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
A metallic material layer is deposited onto the surface of the alloy ingot before hot working operations. This preliminary coating action prevents surface cracking during subsequent forging, extrusion, or other hot working processes by maintaining surface ductility at temperatures where the base alloy would otherwise become brittle.
Solution Approach 2:
The deposited metallic material layer acts as an intermediary between the hot working dies and the alloy ingot surface. This intermediate layer protects the base alloy from direct thermal gradients and mechanical stress that cause surface cracking, while still allowing effective force transmission during deformation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the metallic material layer is used to insulate the ingot from dies, then the temperature range for hot working is broadened, but the manufacturing time and process duration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The deposited metallic material layer modifies the thermal parameters at the ingot surface, creating a thermal barrier that reduces heat loss to the dies. This allows hot working to proceed over a broader temperature range, extending the useful temperature window below where the base alloy would normally become too brittle to work.
Solution Approach 2:
The metallic material layer enables continuous hot working operations at lower temperatures by preventing rapid cooling at the surface. This maintains the ingot in a workable temperature state for longer durations, allowing more time for deformation operations without requiring constant reheating.
3Ease of manufacture
If force is applied onto the metallic material layer during hot working, then the ingot can be deformed more effectively, but the layer thickness and material consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic material layer is applied to the surface only, rather than throughout the entire ingot volume. This partial application provides sufficient protection and deformation assistance at the critical surface region where cracking occurs, while minimizing overall material consumption compared to alloying the entire ingot.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The deposited metallic material layer significantly reduces the incidence of surface cracking, improving the yield of alloy articles by allowing hot working over a broader temperature range and maintaining the ingot's structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the metallic material layer is more ductile and malleable than the underlying alloy, to insulate the ingot from dies and prevent cooling to brittle temperatures
Implementation Method 2
The welding apparatus may be configured to deposit a metallic material layer as a weld deposit onto at least a region of a surface of an ingot
Data Source
AI summary
Processes and methods related to processing and hot working alloy ingots are disclosed. A metallic material layer is deposited onto at least a region of a surface of an alloy ingot before hot working the alloy ingot. The processes and methods are characterized by a reduction in the incidence of surface cracking of the alloy ingot during hot working.