Lecture- 8

Mechanical working of metals

Hot working processes
Rolling
Drawing
Forging
Extruding
Piercing
Spinning

Mechanical working of metals

Plastic deformation or other physical
change to which metal is subjected, by
rolling,

hammering,

drawing.,

etc.

to

change its shape, properties or structure.

There are many possible process of shaping

and forming metals.
The choice of method or methods to be
employed is influenced by the following
factors.
i.

Kind of metal

ii.

The complexity of the shape

iii.

The intended use

iv.

Relative costs of various methods.

Mechanical working processes

Metals are subjected to mechanical working for two general
purposes.
i. To reduce the original block
ii.To improve the mechanical properties of the metal through
-

Refinement of grain size,

Directional control of "flow lines" and

Break-up and distribution of unavoidable

inclusions, particularly in steel.

Operations are performed on metal to produce new

shape or to improve the properties of other metal.
Shaping in the solid state may be divided into
i.
Non-cutting or chipping, shaping, eg
forging,rolling, pressing etc.
ii.
Cutting shape, eg - machining operations.
Non-cutting shaping are preferred to as mechanical
working process.
Mechanical working of metal is simply plastic
deformation performed to change dimension properties
and or surface by means of mechanical pressure.
It may be either hot working or cold working.

Hot working
Subjecting metals to forces, which cause
into undergo plastic deformation when it is
above

the

temperature.

above

the

recrystallization

Principal methods of hot working

Rolling
Forging
Drawing
Extruding
Piercing
Spinning

Rolling

Hot rolling, also called hot working, is a metallurgical

process of in which large pieces of metal such as slabs
or billets are deformed between roller at high
temperature to form thinner cross sections.
Billets- A small, usually rectangular bar of iron or steel
in an intermediate stage of manufacture.

Hot rolling

Cast
microstructure

Deformed
elongated grains
(texture)

Recrystalised
microstructure

Hot rolling is a rolling operation carried out at a

temperature
exceeding
the
recrystallization
temperature and permitting large amount of
deformation.

Rolling mill
A
metal
bar
passing through
the rotating rolls
is squeezed, and it
elongates
while
its cross section
area decreases.
A machine used for rolling metal is called rolling mill.
A typical rolling mill consists of a pair of rolls driven by
an electric motor transmitting a torque through a gear
and pair of rolls.

Forging
Forging
is
a
compressive
metal
forming
process,
involving
shaping
a
metal piece by hammer.
Hammer forging (drop forging) is forming a preheated
workpiece by using impact energy of the falling hammer
forcing the metal to fill the space between the punch (a
part attached to the hammer) and the forging die (a part
attached to the anvil).

Drawing

Drawing is a metal forming process involving pulling a

workpiece (cold or hot) through a die providing reduction
of the cross section of the workpiece.
The drawing process employs a series of dies with
opening of similar shape and of size which is slightly
reduced in each consequent die.
As the cross section decreases after passing each die, the length of
workpiece increases, requiring corresponding increase of the speed.
Drawing is used for production of wires (diameter down to 2m),
rods and other products from brass and steel.

Deep drawing
Deep drawing is a
cold metal forming
process in which a
flat metal blank is
forced into a die
cavity
by
hydraulically driven
punch.
A cup-like cylindrical part, having the depth greater
than its diameter, is formed as a result of deep drawing.

Extrusion

Extrusion is a metal forming process involving shaping a

metal billet (hot or cold) by forcing it through a die with an
opening.
In hot extrusion process the metal billet is preheated to the
required temperature: 840F - 930F (450C - 500C) for
aluminum alloys and 1300F - 1470F (700C - 800C) for
Copper alloys.
Extrusion is used for manufacturing round and hexagonal
rods, tubes, various profiles (mainly aluminum) and other
shapes.

Direct and indirect extrusion

In the direct extrusion the
extruded metal flows in
the direction of the ram
motion.

In the indirect extrusion the

metal flows in the direction
opposite to the ram motion.

Piercing
Rotary piercing is a metalworking forming process for forming
thick-walled seamless tubing
Piercing is employed to produce seamless tubing, which is the
natural form from which to make any thin walled round objects.
It is also called seamless tubing.
The process of making hot pierced tubing consists of passing a hot
rolled billet in between two conical shaped rolls and over a mandrel,
which assists in the drilling punching or pressing.
It is then pushed into two piercing rolls, which impart axial as well
as rolling movement to the billet and force it over the mandrel.

The alternate squeezing and bulging of the billet open

up a seam in its centre.
The first pass makes a rather thick-walled tube, which
is again passed over a tapered plug and through
grooved rolls in a two high mill where the thickness is
decreased and the length is increased.
If more accuracy and better finish are desired, the tube
may run through sizing dies or rolls.
After cooling, the tubes are usually placed in a picking
bath of dilute sulphuric acid to remove the scale and
oxide.

Rotary piercing

The billet is gripped by the rolls, which

rotate
and
advance
it
over
the
piercer point, forming a hole through its
length.

Spinning
A cold-forming operation in which a rotating
disk of sheet metal is shaped over a male form
or mandrel
Form attached to the
Headstock spindle
Follower held in
tailstock

Final shape
Steps in
spinning

Original blank of
sheet metal

Spinning them from sheet metal can make parts that

have circular cross-sections.
The principle of metal spinning.
A heated circular blank of sheet metal is lightly held
against a chuck by the pressure of a freely rotating pad
on the lathe tailstock.
This chuck may be made of plaster, wood or metal and is
revolved on the spindle of a lathe.

A rounded stick or roller is pressed against the

revolving piece and moved in a series of sweeps.
This displaces the metal in several steps to conform
to the shape of the chuck.
Once the operation is started, considerable frictional
heat is generated which aids in maintaining the metal
at a plastic state.
Spinning is a highly specialized art.
To avoid excessive thinning of the metal, the pressure
of the forming tool should be directed sometimes
backward towards the tailstock as well as forward
towards the hand stock.

Advantages of hot working

i. Porosity in the metal is largely eliminated.
ii. Coarse grains are refined.
iii. Slag and other impurities are squeezed into fibers and
distributed throughout the mass
iv. Mechanical properties such as toughness, ductility,
elongation, percentage, reduction of area percentage
and resistance to shock and vibration are improved due
to the refinement of grains.

Disadvantages of hot working

i. It requires expensive tools.
ii. It produces poor surface finish. This is due to
rapid oxidation and scaling of the surface of the
metal at high temperatures.
iii. Close tolerances cannot be maintained due to
poor surface finish.