International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2013

ISSN 2250-3153

Controlling Measures to Reduce Rejection Rate due to

Forging Defects
Aju Pius Thottungal*, Sijo.M.T*
*

Mechanical department, S.C.M.S.School of Engineering and Technology

Abstract- The objective of this paper was to investigate the

various forging defects that occur in a forging industry that
causes high rejection rates in the components and this paper
describes the remedial measures that can reduce these defects in
the hot forging. The investigation was done with the help of
quality assurance department within the industry. The various
defects that occur in the components during forging are
identified. The result indicates that the rejection rate in the
company was more than five percent of the total productions
made each month. The defects in the forged components includes
the lapping, mismatch, scales, quench cracks, under filling etc. In
this paper, it describes the remedial actions that to be done
inorder to reduce the rejection rates. The remedial actions
includes the proper use of anti scale coating, venting process to
prevent the under filling, the simulation software for determining
the material flow, proper lubricant (espon lss) instead of furnace
oil etc.
Index Terms- forging defects, forging defects remedies, forging
errors, closed die forging, controlling measures for forging errors
I. INTRODUCTION

orging is the process by which metal is heated and is shaped

by plastic deformation by suitably applying compressive
force. Usually the compressive force is in the form of hammer
blows using a power hammer or a press.
Forging refines the grain structure and improves the physical
properties of the metal. With proper design, the grain flow can be
oriented in the direction of principal stresses encountered in
actual use. Grain flow is the direction of the pattern that the
crystals take during plastic deformation. Physical properties
(such as strength, ductility and toughness) are much better in a
forging than in the base metal, which has, crystals randomly
oriented.
There are many imperfections that can be considered as
being defects, ranging from those traceable to the starting
materials to those caused by one of the forging processes or by
post forging operations. Defects can be defined as imperfections
that exceed certain limits. In other words, there may be
imperfections that are not classified as true defects because
they are smaller than allowances in the applicable specifications.
There are differences in allowable imperfections on the
surfaces of forgings and these vary depending on the material
being forged. This is the area that requires attention especially
that going to focus in this paper and the remedial or controlling
measures to be taken to reduce the rejection rate in the forging
industry due to these imperfections.

This article describes the investigation that carried out in a

forging industry in kerala, south india. By investigating the plant
its noted the defects that are occurring in the forged parts that
causes rejection rate, and the remedial actions or controlling
measures that should be taken to avoid these rejections.
II. IDENTIFICATION
During the investigation that done within a forging
industry, its manufacturing more than 24 types of components by
the hot forging technique. With the help of the QA department
within the plant its clear that in July 2012 company manufactured
24 types of components for different clients using ten ton
hammer. In the total number of 2798 products about 150
products were rejected, which means the plant has a rejection
rate of more than five percent per month. These much rejection
rate cannot be tolerated by the company, this lead me to undergo
an detailed study in the company about the defects that caused
these much rejection rate and the remedial actions suitable for
that to reduce the rejection rate.
From the table:1 its clear that the quantity received for
each components both in numbers and in metric tons, quantity
accepted and the quantity rejected during the specific month.
From the inspection report given from the quality assurance
department within the plant out of 2798 manufactured
components a total of 143 components were rejected.
This led me to undergo an investigation in the company
about the defects that caused these much rejection rates and the
remedial actions suitable for that to reduce the rejection rates.
III. STUDIES AND FINDINGS
The quality assurance department made remarks after
conducting various tests to analyze the defects caused to the
components that forged within the company.
The various tests conducted by the quality assurance
department include dye penetrant testing, magnetic particle
testing, and ultrasonic inspection to check whether there are
internal cracks or external surface defects after the forging
process. After these testing processes they are making a detailed
report on these as shown in table 1.

www.ijsrp.org

International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2013
ISSN 2250-3153

INSPECTION REPORT FOR MONTH JULY 2012

Quantity
Quantity
Qty
Sl no.
item
received
accepted
rejec
ted
No.s M
No.s M
No.s
tons
tons
1
680 bevel
119
16.0 118
15.9 1
pinion
7
3
2
786 crank shaft 155
17.8 155
17.8 0
gear
3
3
3
254 saddle
101
11.1 62
6.82 39
1
4
833 coupling
42
3.23 39
3
3
5
819 pylon
20
0.59 18
.53
2
6
621 saddle
10
1.55 10
1.55 0
7
807 integral
58
10.2 58
10.2 0
axle arm
1
1
8
794 cam shaft
55
3.96 55
3.96 0
gear
9
256 crank shaft 39
2.34 39
2.34 0
gear
10
496 rod wheel
180
7.38 180
7.38 0
arm
11
175 con rod
635
25.8 549
22.3 86
4
4
12
855 gear
25
11.2 20
9
5
5
13
55 valve body
200
21.4 200
21.4 0
14
263 cam shaft
81
11.3 81
11.3 0
gear
4
4
15
837 gear
55
18.1 54
17.8 1
5
2
16
814 companion 63
4.28 63
4.28 0
flange
17
779 gear
250
14.8 250
14.8 0
8
8
18
958 mf center
37
4.51 37
4.51 0
19
959 mf inter
15
1.38 15
1.38 0
20
960 mf end
15
1.58 15
1.58 0
21
527 d cage
113
2.6
111
2.55 2
22
127 valve body 200
36.6 200
36.6 0
23
219 mb cap
285
19.3 281
19.3 4
8
8
24
272 gear
45
8.28 45
8.28 0
total
2798 255. 2655 244. 143
74
89
Table 1: inspection report by the QA department for month July
By plotting the defects that caused on the components
graphically the figure 1 shows it. From the graph we can get a
clear idea that out of 24 components a total of 14 components are
affected by the unfilling and scale pits which are the major
defects. The other major defects are mismatch, lapping, oversize
in the forged components.

Figure 1: graphical representation defects presented in the

components

IV. TECHNIQUES USED BY QUALITY ASSURANCE

DEPARTMENT TO ANALYZE THE DEFECTS
DURING FORGING
A: GREEN STAGE
There are several techniques that used for check the
defects that caused in that forged components. It may be in hot
stage or it may be in green stage. The green stage checking is
done after the forged components are cooled.
1. Dye penetrant inspection

2. Magnetic particle inspection

3. Ultrasonic inspection
1. DYE PENETRANT INSPECTION
Dye penetrant inspection (DPI), also called liquid
penetrant inspection (LPI) or penetrant testing (PT), is a widely
applied and low-cost inspection method used to locate surfacebreaking defects in all non-porous materials (metals, plastics, or
ceramics). The penetrant may be applied to all non-ferrous
materials and ferrous materials; although for ferrous
components magnetic-particle inspection is often used instead for
its subsurface detection capability. LPI is used to detect casting,
forging and welding surface defects such as hairline cracks,
surface porosity, leaks in new products, and fatigue cracks on inservice components.
2. MAGNETIC PARTICLE INSPECTION
Magnetic particle inspection (MPI) is a non-destructive
testing (NDT) process for detecting surface and slightly
subsurface
discontinuities
in ferroelectric
materials such
as iron, nickel, cobalt, and some of their alloys. The process puts
a magnetic field into the part. The piece can be magnetized by
direct or indirect magnetization. Direct magnetization occurs
when the electric current is passed through the test object and a
magnetic field is formed in the material. Indirect magnetization

www.ijsrp.org

International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2013
ISSN 2250-3153

occurs when no electric current is passed through the test object,

but a magnetic field is applied from an outside source. The
magnetic lines of force are perpendicular to the direction of the
electric current which may be either alternating current (AC) or
some form of direct current (DC) (rectified AC). The presence of
a surface or subsurface discontinuity in the material allows
the magnetic flux to leak, since air cannot support as much
magnetic field per unit volume as metals. Ferrous iron particles
are then applied to the part. The particles may be dry or in a wet
suspension. If an area of flux leakage is present the particles will
be attracted to this area. The particles will build up at the area of
leakage and form what is known as an indication. The indication
can then be evaluated to determine what it is, what may have
caused it, and what action should be taken, if any.

Figure 2: magnetic particle inspection

3. ULTRASONIC TESTING
In ultrasonic testing, an ultrasound transducer connected
to a diagnostic machine is passed over the object being inspected.
The transducer is typically separated from the test object by a
couplant (such as oil) or by water, as in immersion testing.There
are two methods of receiving the ultrasound waveform, reflection
and attenuation. In reflection (or pulse-echo) mode, the
transducer performs both the sending and the receiving of the
pulsed waves as the "sound" is reflected back to the device.
Reflected ultrasound comes from an interface, such as the back
wall of the object or from an imperfection within the object. The
diagnostic machine displays these results in the form of a signal
with an amplitude representing the intensity of the reflection and
the distance, representing the arrival time of the reflection. In
attenuation (or through-transmission) mode, a transmitter sends
ultrasound through one surface, and a separate receiver detects
the amount that has reached it on another surface after traveling
through the medium. Imperfections or other conditions in the
space between the transmitter and receiver reduce the amount of
sound transmitted, thus revealing their presence. Using the
couplant increases the efficiency of the process by reducing the
losses in the ultrasonic wave energy due to separation between
the surfaces.
B: HOT STAGE

There are several techniques that used for check the

defects that caused in that forged components .Hot stage
checking consists of the analysis of forged part at the stage of
forging itself. In this it will thoroughly inspect the laps, scale
pits, unfilling, cracks, and mismatch by directly. And for control
the dimensions we will use the GO and NO-GO gauges.
DEFECTS DURING FORGING ANALYZED BY THE
QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT
1. UNFILLED SECTION
Some section of the die cavity is not completely filled by the
flowing metal or Metal does not fill the recesses of the die
completely. Its mainly due to the improper design of the die. This
unfilling process is occurring due to following.
improper design of the forging die .

improper material flow in the die.

air, gas or lubricant being trapped in a corner feature of

a forging dies.

2.

LAPS AND FOLD

A lap is defined as surface to surface contact in the

workpiece when the surface of the workpiece folds or collapses
on itself. A section of the workpiece flowing into itself.A flowby in which the workpiece surface is in contact with a die and is
subsequently pulled away by a tensile stress component and
closes on itself.Peeling that can form when the surface of a
billet or preform is sheared by a die, resulting in an area of
localized folding. A die corner is frequently involved, as it forces
material ahead of a moving contact region, without significant
subsurface deformation. This defect can be the result of a poor
design or inadequate process control.

Figure 3: laps formed in the component during forging

3.

SCALE PITS

The oxidation and decarburization of steel take place when

steel components are heated in the presence of air or products of
combustion. Undesired and excessive oxidation can lead to
problems such as scale pit marks, dimensional changes, poor
surface finish, rejections and quench cracking. Additionally,
these problems may lead to the need for expensive operations
like shot blasting, machining and acid pickling. Protection
against scaling and decarburization is achieved by heating in
molten salts, fluidized-bed furnaces, protective gaseous media or
vacuum. These measures demand heavy capital investment,
www.ijsrp.org

International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2013
ISSN 2250-3153

highly skilled personnel and special safety precautions. Many

companies cannot afford them, yet they are under mounting
pressure to prevent oxidation and decarburization.
4.

QUENCH CRACKS

Forgings such as knuckle joints and crankshafts, when heat

treated in furnaces of oxidizing atmosphere, are susceptible to
quench cracking. Quench cracks appear when stresses generated
during quenching are greater than the tensile strength of thin
sections of the forging. Chrome-moly grades of steel are most
susceptible to quench cracks, which usually occur in the gear-end
portion of the crankshaft. By coating the gear-end with an antiscale coating, the cracking is prevented.

Figure 3: cause and effect diagram for the rejection rate

The figure shows the cause and effect diagram of the
forging defects and its causes as shown in the figure 3.

V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

REMEDIAL ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN
1. USE ANTI-SCALE COATING

Figure2: Quench cracks

Overheating during the austenitizing portion of the heat

treatment cycle can coarsen normally fine grained
steels. coarse grained steels increase hardening depth
and are more prone to quench cracking than fine grain
steels. Avoid overheating and overly long dwell times
while austenitizing.

Improper quenchant. Yes, water, brine, or caustic will

get the steel harder. If the steel is an oil hardening
steel, the use of these overly aggressive quenchants will
lead to cracking.

Too much time between the quenching and the

tempering of the heat treated parts. A common
misconception is that quench cracks can occur only
while the piece is being quenched. This is not true. If
the work is not tempered right away, quench cracks can
(and will) occur.

5.

MISMATCH

Mismatch is occurring due to the deflection or the

movements caused in the upper die and lower die from its
centre due to the repeated blows. The die here is examined
after a large batch of components being forged. We have to
examine the die, its position periodically to identify the
deflection caused in the dies.

An anti-scale coating, which we call ESPON, is applied

on components or billets to be heated before charging them into
the furnace. Care is taken to apply a uniform coating by
brushing, dipping or spraying. The coating is then allowed to dry
for 30 minutes at ambient temperature of 35C. This anti-scale
coating acts as a barrier to the basic reactions of oxidation and
decarburization. To prevent scaling and decarburization, care is
taken to apply a uniform coating layer on the component. The
coating also reduces decarburization on billets and ingots during
hot-forging and hot-rolling operations. Heat transfer from the
heating medium to the metal is unaffected by the coating.
Additionally, the coating has no reaction with the steel surface
and no release of toxic fumes during use, heat treatment or
storage. The coating is nonhazardous and economical to use.
Benefits:

Prevention of Quench Cracks Forgings such as

knuckle joints and crankshafts, when heat treated in
furnaces of oxidizing atmosphere, are susceptible to
quench cracking. Quench cracks appear when stresses
generated during quenching are greater than the tensile
strength of thin sections of the forging. Chrome-moly
grades of steel are most susceptible to quench cracks,
which usually occur in the gear-end portion of the
crankshaft.By coating the gear-end with an anti-scale
coating, the cracking is prevented.

Reduction in Shot-Blasting Time - After Heat

Treatment Operations like shot blasting, grinding and
pickling are expensive and time-consuming procedures.
They are necessary to remove scaling from components
and to enhance the products aesthetic appeal, but they
do not add value to the product. These operations can be
substantially reduced if a coating is applied to
components before heat treatment.

www.ijsrp.org

International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2013
ISSN 2250-3153

Reducing Decarburization During Hot Forging and Hot

Rolling During the hot rolling of special grades of
steel in which decarburization needs to be kept in check,
unforeseen conditions like mill breakdown and
unplanned downtime may arise. Even when the plant is
closed for a weekly holiday, the furnace may be shut off
abruptly, leaving billets inside. Billets left in the furnace
are subjected to prolonged heating, leading to
decarburization. Applying an anti-scale coating ensures
that billets are protected from decarburization.

2. VENTING TO PREVENT UNDERFILLING

Underfilling is typically a problem when a large part is
manufactured on a small press with a less-than-optimum preform
geometry. Smaller equipment does not provide the option of
overpowering a less-than-optimum design or leave much margin
for process variation. Depending on the equipment, force, power,
speed or energy can be the culprit for an underfill. a steel forging
being produced on an undersized hydraulic press. Because the
press is slow, there is significant chilling of the work piece, as
indicated by the temperature profiles in the figure. This causes
the flow strength of the steel to increase and require more force
to deform it. Because of its small size, the press will stall before
the component is completely forged, leaving an underfilled
region. To avoid this, equipment of the right capacity must be
used.
Venting: Underfills can also result from air, gas or lubricant
being trapped in a corner feature of a forging. These can be
eliminated by a redesigned preform, which provides a vent for
gas, or by adding corner closure to the final forging. The ideal
gas law can be used to describe the behavior of gas being
compressed in a die corner
3.USE SIMULATION SOFTWARE FOR THE MATERIAL
FLOW
During open-die forging or forging without any die
contact, the work piece may flow in a manner that is different
from the design plan. Even though we would like the material to
flow in a prescribed manner, if it is unconstrained it may move in
an undesirable fashion, leaving a part that does not meet the
customer's specifications. This type of material movement is not
random or arbitrary and will take the path of least resistance in
determining its flow. Simulation programs can aid the forger in
understanding actual material flow. These packages incorporate
the flow along the path of least resistance within their
calculations and provide a detailed view of the actual geometry
that a part would take when the dies do not provide constraint.
Simulation programs: It can be effectively used to see
the formation of defects. These tools allow the forger to "see"
inside the die and the work piece during deformation. The
simulation tool can also provide a serial view of the process
dynamics in both forward and backward directions. These can
provide the forger with significant insights into the origin and
evolution of the geometrical defects that are described in this
paper.
Simulation has allowed us to clearly illustrate die
designs that contribute to geometrical defects of laps and

underfills. The programs also allow the forging engineer to test a

number of "what if" scenarios without having to actually sink a
die and run tests in the forge shop.
Today there are some simulation software to analyse
this forging operation. For example: quantor form, forge 3D etc
4. PROPER LUBRICANT (ESPON LSS)
Many forge shops in India use furnace oil as lubricant.
They are realizing day by day that it is a wrong practice. First of
all, furnace oil is not a lubricant. When it comes in contact with
0

the die surface which is at temperatures up to 500 C, the

hydrocarbons present in it burn out partially. The gas pressure
generated between the forged component and the die wall give
rise to hairline cracks. These cracks grow fast during subsequent
operations of the forging hammer or press. The serrations so
generated in the die cavity impair the surface finish of the
forgings. Due to incomplete combustion of the hydrocarbons, a
lot of smoke is generated. Sulphur present in the furnace oil
enhances pungent smell of the smoke. This smoke is
carcinogenic. Workmen feel tired soon and their efficiency is
affected. Pollution Control Board would raise serious objections
to the use of furnace oil for swabbing the dies.
5. CORRECT DIE DESIGN
A "flow-by" in which the work piece surface is in
contact with a die and is subsequently pulled away by a tensile
stress component and closes on itself.
"Peeling" that can form when the surface of a billet or preform is
sheared by a die, resulting in an area of localized folding. A die
corner is frequently involved, as it forces material ahead of a
moving contact region, without significant subsurface
deformation. This defect can be the result of a poor design or
inadequate process control.
Flow localization that can also show up as a forging lap in alloys
where flow softening exists. Most laps are resolved by changing
the forging preform, forged shape or process. The prevention of
laps is primarily a process-design issue due to improper preform
geometry or improper impression geometry.
Proper draft, corner radius and fillet.
Reduction of friction by the use of polished dies and
suitable lubrication.
By grinding the die in the curved edges before us
VI. CONCLUSION
In this paper its described the different factors for effective
forging is studied and the remedial actions that required for
controlling the rejection rates due to forging defects.By the
proper usage of anti scale coating, proper lubricant, proper
design of dies by polishing and grinding, and use the simulation
programs for monitoring the material flow inside the dies. Thus it
will be very useful in control the forging defects effectively.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank Mr. SurendranEngineer
in-charge and Mr. A V Mohanan, Manager heat treatment lab,
Steel & Industrial Forgings Ltd. (SIFL), Thrissur, Kerala, India

www.ijsrp.org

International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2013
ISSN 2250-3153

for their technical

throughout the work.

support and

experimental

assistance
AUTHORS

REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]

C. J. Van Tyne and J.Walters, understanding geometrical forging defects,

april 1,2007
H.James Henning, Defects in Hot Forging,may/june2007,vol.18 Issue
3,p40.
Shinichiro fujikawa, Kos Ishii, Taylan Altan A diagnostic expert system
for defects in forged parts, september 14, 1993
Pankaj Chandna, Arunesh Chandra Quality Tools to Reduce Crankshaft
Forging Defects: An Industrial Case StudyJISE Vol. 3, No. 1, pp 27-37
Spring 2009

First Author Aju Pius Thottungal, PG scholar, S.C.M.S.school

of engineering and technology ernakulam, kerala,
[email protected]
Second Author Sijo.M.T, assistant professor,S.C.M.S.school
of engineering and technology ernakulam, kerala
Correspondence Author
Aju Pius Thottungal, PG scholar, S.C.M.S.school of engineering
and technology ernakulam, kerala, [email protected],
+919995981904

www.ijsrp.org