Development of a wear resistant and stress adapted modular build tool, manufactured out of a ceramics reinforced metal matrix composite material (MMC), for the use in hot forging industry

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Bernd-Arno Behrens
• Subject Area: Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing
• Term: from 2016 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 312033221

Hot forming tools are locally influenced by high thermal, mechanical, chemical and tribological stresses, which usually occur at the same time. Particularly the thermal softening, which occurs during high temperature applications, often leads to premature failure of conventional forging tools due to plastic deformation in the engraving area.The overall objective of the proposed research project is to develop components out of a new metal matrix composite material (MMC) to increase the wear resistance of hot forming tools. Furthermore, the linkage between the MMC - component and the compact material is investigated. Therefor a pressure forming tool, which is constructively adapted to the present loads by using graded ceramic reinforcing phases, will be developed.The proposed forming tool will be composed out of several components. The main body will be made of conventional tool steel, while the highly stressed areas will be manufactured out of a newly developed MMC consisting of steel powder and ceramic hard material. The used MMC is specified by a layered structure of the ceramic reinforcing phase. A decreasing concentration of the ceramic reinforcing phase will simultaneous lead to strong mechanical properties at the engraving and good bonding qualities to the main body. To achieve a sufficient bonding quality between the compact material and the MMC - component, within this research, a number of joining operations will be developed and compared with one another. Finally, the operational behavior of the developed forging tools is examined in detail using a pressure forming process on an automated power press.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants