PREDICTION OF LIFETIME AND SURFACE DEGRADATION
OF FORGING DIES BY MEANS OF FEM ANALYSIS

SUMMARY
Surface degradation and lifetime of forging dies constitute a complex problem and their prediction is rather complicated. The intensity of the degradation depends on many factors, such as temperature, forming rate, or die geometry and its material. Current computer software for numerical analysis of the forging process based on the finite elements method (FEM) supports objective evaluation of the influence of said factors on the lifetime of dies. This approach allows estimation of the extent of degradation in various places on the tool surface, achieving quite a high accuracy.

Keywords
Forging die, lifetime, gear wheel, finite elements method (FEM)

¹ COMTES FHT, Republika Czeska