Thread rolling is a unique metal forming process which is commonly used to form screw threads on threaded fasteners and precision leadscrews at relatively high rates of speed. Threads are formed on a cylindrical blank by flat or cylindrical dies having the reverse form on them, which rotate and penetrate the blank simultaneously, to plastically deform it into a precise geometry. Thread rolling dies are exposed to a complex state of cyclical contact stresses that eventually cause the dies to fail by fatigue and wear. The stress state is not easily ascertained through standard analytical models due to complex geometry and process conditions. This research seeks to better understand the state of contact stresses present in cylindrical thread rolling dies as they form material, to aid in identifying and testing economical methods of improving thread rolling die fatigue life. Some work has been published on using FEA simulation software to model the thread rolling process, but no work has been published on using FEA software to analyze the stresses in thread rolling dies. DEFORM®-3D Forming Simulation Software by Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation in Columbus, Ohio was used to simulate the throughfeed thread rolling process and model the state of stresses in the dies. The results were compared to the Hertzian contact stress model and the Smith Liu equations for rolling and sliding friction. Fatigue life prediction methods involving S-N curves, surface fatigue strength, and Weibull probability distributions were tested using the simulation data against field results. An optimized die design was generated from a design of experiments simulating different die design geometry. Findings show that field failures correlate well to the DEFORM® simulation results. The Hertz model with Smith Liu equations improved correlation with the simulation. Fatigue life prediction models correlated reasonably well to field results using the simulation data for inputs. These findings can aid in selecting appropriate die materials, design parameters, and fatigue life treatments.

Forging temperature is one of the basic considerations in forging processes. In warm forging, the metals are forged at temperatures about the recrystallization temperature and below the traditional hot forging temperature. Warm forging has many advantages when compared to hot and cold forging. Accuracy and surface finish of the parts is improved compared to hot forging while ductility is increased and forming loads are reduced when compared to cold forging. In this study, forging process of a part which is currently produced at the hot forging temperature range and which needs some improvements in accuracy, material usage and energy concepts, is analyzed. The forging process sequence design with a new preform design for the particular part is proposed in warm forging temperature range and the proposed process is simulated using Finite Element Method. In the simulations, coupled thermal mechanical analyses are performed and the dies are modeled as deformable bodies to execute die stress analysis. Experimental study is also carried out in METU-BILTIR Center Forging Research and Application Laboratory and it has been observed that numerical and experimental results are in good agreement. In the study, material wastage is reduced by proposing using of a square cross section billet instead of a circular one, energy saving and better accuracy in part dimensions is achieved by reducing the forging temperature from the hot forging to the warm forging temperature range.

Semi-hot or warm forging is an economical alternative to the conventional forging processes by combining advantages of hot and cold forging processes. In this study, a new forging process sequence and design of the preform die for a part which has been produced by hot forging are proposed to be produced by semi-hot forging. Thermo-mechanical finite element analyses are performed over the stages of forging process. The billet and the dies are modeled as elastic-plastic bodies. Effects of preform die geometry on the die stresses and the forging load are investigated using finite element method. Comparison of the results obtained by using two different commercial finite element analysis programs is done for semi-hot and hot forging temperature ranges. The forging temperatures are determined for the particular part and the experiments are conducted by using the 1000 ton forging press. The parts are produced without any defects and material wastage in the form of flash is reduced. The numerical results are also compared with the experimental results and a good agreement is achieved.