Forming of high-strength steels using a hot-melt dry lubricant

• The increasing use of high strength steels in a variety of mechanical engineering applications has illuminated problems associated with galling in sheet metal forming operations. Galling is a tribological phenomenon associated with transfer of material from the steel sheet to the tool surface during forming resulting in seizure of the tool/steel sheet contact and extensive scratching of the steel sheet surface. As a result, a number of concepts have been developed in order to reduce the tendency to galling in metal forming, including the development of new dry lubricants, new forming tool steel grades and improved surface engineering treatments such as the deposition of low friction CVD and PVD coatings. In the present study the performance of a hot-melt dry lubricant in the forming of hot and cold rolled and hot-dip galvanized high strength steel has been evaluated and compared with a conventional rust protection oil using five different tests methods, i.e. a strip reduction test, a bending under tension test, a stretch-forming test, a pin-on disc test and a strip drawing test. In these tests, two different cold work tool steels, a conventional steel grade and a nitrogen alloyed PM steel grade were evaluated. The results show that the different tests used give consistent results and valuable information concerning the galling tendency of the steel sheet, tool steel and lubricant combinations investigated and when combined can be used to rank the galling resistance of lubricants and tool steels. The results clearly show that the dry lubricant provides better lubrication and generates less galling than the rust protection oil. Also, the nitrogen alloyed PM steel grade shows a significantly higher galling resistance as compared with the conventional steel grade and can, in combination with a dry lubricant, preferably be used in sheet metal forming operations to further improve the galling resistance.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Steel Forming and Surface Engineering

Stålformning och ytteknik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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