|
Metal
|
Characteristic
|
Application
|
|
Aluminum
|
Readily
forged
Combines
low density with good strength-to-weight ratio
|
Combines
low density with good strength-to-weight ratio
|
|
Magnesium
|
Offer
the lowest density of any commercial metal
|
Usually
employed at service temperatures lower than 500°F but certain alloys provide
short-time service to 700°F.
|
|
Copper,
Brass, Bronze
|
Well-suited
to forging
Electrical
and thermal conductivity
|
Important
for applications requiring corrosion resistance.
|
|
Low-Carbon
and Low-Alloy Steels
|
Low
material cost
Easily
processed
Good
mechanical properties
Varied
response to heat treatment gives designers a choice of properties in the
finished forging
|
Comprise
the greatest volume of forgings produced for service applications up to
900°F.
|
|
Microalloy/HSLA Steels
|
Various
automotive and truck applications including crankshafts, connecting rods,
yokes, pistons, suspension and steering components, spindles, hubs, and
trunio
|
Low material cost
Cost
benefit derived from simplified thermomechanical treatment
Equivalent mechanical properties to many carbon and low-alloy steels
|
|
Used
in transportation, mining, industrial and agricultural equipment, as well as
high-stress applications in missiles and aircraft.
|
Permit
forgings with more than 300,000 psi yield strength at room temperature
|
Special-Alloy
Steels
|
|
Stainless
Steel
|
Corrosion-resistant
|
Used
in pressure vessels, steam turbines, and many other applications in the
chemical, food processing, petroleum, and hospital services industries. Used
for high-stress service at temperatures up to 1,250°F and low-stress service
to 1,800°F and higher. Nickel-Base
|
|
Nickel-Base
Superalloy
|
Creep-rupture
strength
Oxidation resistance
|
Service in the 1,200-1,800°F range. Structural shapes, turbine components, and fittings and valves.
|
|
Titanium
|
High
strength
Low density
Excellent corrosion resistance
Alloys offer yield strengths in the 120,000 to 180,000 psi range at room temperatures
|
Used
primarily in the temperature services to 1,000°F. Configurations nearly
identical to steel parts are forgeable and 40% lighter in weight.
Aircraft-engine components and structurals, ship components, and valves and
fittings in transportation and chemical industries.
|
|
Refractory
Metal
|
Include
columbium, molybdenum, tantalum, and tungsten and their alloys
Enhanced
resistance to creep in high-thermal environments
|
High-temperature
applications involving advanced chemical, electrical, and nuclear propulsion
systems and flight vehicles.
|
|
Beryllium
|
Light,
hard, and brittle
Increasingly
used as an alloying material
High
melting point
Special
forging techniques have been developed to process beryllium in sintered,
ingot, or powdered form
|
Used
primarily in nuclear, structural, and heat-sink applications.
|
|
Zirconium
|
Corrosion-resistant
|
Produced
in relatively limited quantities and used almost exclusively in nuclear
applications.
|