Hot Forming Die Assembly With Offset Cooling Channels for Uniform Quenching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot forming dies with water cooling passages cannot conform to the complex shape of vehicle body components, leading to uneven cooling and potential softening of formed components during the quenching process.
Innovation Solution
A hot forming die assembly with cooling channels offset from the complex die surface, allowing for controlled quenching across the entire surface, using a combination of lower and upper dies with DIEVAR or H-11/H-13 tool steel and a cooling system to manage the cooling fluid flow and temperature for precise phase transformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional water cooling passages are used in hot forming dies, then the die structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the cooling passages cannot conform to the complex shape of the die surface, resulting in uneven cooling and improper quenching
Solution Approach 1:
The die structure is divided into multiple segments including a die body, cap, and cap insert. The cooling passages are segmented into first cooling passages in the die body and second cooling passages in the cap and cap insert, allowing each segment to be optimized independently for its specific cooling requirements while maintaining overall cooling uniformity across the complex die surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling passages are positioned at different depths and locations within the die structure rather than being confined to a single surface level. The first cooling passages are formed in the die body at specific positions, while second cooling passages are formed in the cap and cap insert, creating a three-dimensional cooling network that conforms to the complex die surface geometry and achieves uniform cooling.
2Shape
If the die surface has a complex three-dimensional shape to match vehicle body components, then the formed component matches the desired vehicle body contour, but conventional drilled cooling passages cannot conform to this complex shape, leading to hot spots and improper quenching
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the die structure have different cooling configurations tailored to their specific requirements. The first cooling passages are positioned at specific locations in the die body, while second cooling passages are positioned in the cap and cap insert, allowing each local region to receive appropriate cooling to match the complex die surface contour and achieve uniform quenching across the entire component.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system transitions from two-dimensional surface cooling to three-dimensional volumetric cooling by positioning passages at different depths within the die body, cap, and cap insert. This multi-level arrangement allows the cooling passages to conform to the complex three-dimensional die surface shape, ensuring uniform heat extraction and quenching across the entire component surface.
3Productivity
If simultaneous hot forming and quenching is performed in a single operation, then production efficiency increases and component distortion is reduced, but the cooling system must precisely control temperature distribution across complex die surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independent cooling circuits with first cooling passages in the die body and second cooling passages in the cap and cap insert. This segmentation allows independent control of cooling flow rates and temperatures in different regions, enabling precise temperature distribution control across the complex die surface during simultaneous hot forming and quenching operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling passages are arranged in three dimensions within the die structure, allowing temperature control from multiple depths and angles. This volumetric cooling approach enables more precise temperature distribution control compared to surface-level cooling, facilitating accurate thermal management during simultaneous forming and quenching to achieve uniform component properties.
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
Enables consistent austenite-to-martensite transformation within short cycle times, achieving desired metallurgical states without distortion, suitable for high-volume production and maintaining component strength and lightness.
Implementation Method 1
a first plurality of cooling channels (210) formed in a inner surface (226) of the cap wall (220)
Implementation Method 2
circulating cooling fluid through the cooling channels
Implementation Method 3
enables consistent austenite-to-martensite transformation within short cycle times
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
It is provided a hot forming die assembly for shaping and subsequently cooling a component, comprising: a cap (200) having an outer surface with a three-dimensionally contoured profile for shaping the component and an inner surface having a profile that generally matches said three-dimensionally contoured profile of said outer surface; at least one cap insert (204) having an upper surface with a profile that generally matches said three-dimensionally contoured profile of said outer and inner surfaces of said cap; said upper surface of said cap insert adjacent said inner surface of said cap; said cap insert presenting at least one first aperture (240) for receiving coolant and at least one second aperture (242) for conveying coolant; said inner surface of said cap and said upper surface of said at least one cap insert cooperating with one another to define at least one cooling channel (210) for conveying coolant to cool the component, said at least one cooling channel having a length extending from said at least one first aperture to said at least one second aperture; and wherein a portion of said at least one cooling channel at said inner surface of said cap is offset from said outer surface of said cap in a direction parallel to a die action direction by a consistent distance along said length of said at least one cooling channel.