Abstract
Superplastic forming (SPF) is an advanced manufacturing process, typically restricted to low volume and high value products, where metallic sheets are heated at the superplastic temperature and blow formed into a metallic die. Refractory ceramics are a low cost option to substitute the high temperature resistant steels and other alloys conventionally used in SPF dies, but their brittle nature is a limiting factor for most SPF applications. Suitable surface coatings have shown a significant effect on wear resistance and can be employed to improve the ceramic performance in terms of tool life. This paper is focused on an initial study on protective coatings for SPF ceramic dies to evaluate their effectiveness for SPF forming. The tests were conducted using a dedicated test rig built at the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) at the University of Strathclyde, and where the die-blank interaction under SPF conditions was replicated at laboratory scale.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1009-1016 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Early online date | 19 Oct 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 19 Oct 2017 |
Keywords
- superplastic forming
- wear
- ceramic die
- protective coating
- Ti-6Al-4V