when forging in different temperature ranges (P 1058 / Pre-Competitive Cooperative Industrial Research Project (IGF) No. 18229 N ; P 1154 / IGF-No. 1940 N) IFUM, IUL, IFU

The work in subproject 4 aims at expanding technological horizons when forging parts optimized with respect to lightweight design. The goal is to exploit lightweight design potential for components of the powertrain and chassis. Using new and expanded forging technologies, optimized process routes as well as the generation of local strengths, innovative forging solutions will be analysed for achieving lightweighting.

In the area of cold forging, the cold extrusion of thin-walled hollow parts (piston pins) will be analysed at the IFU Stuttgart under the aspects of materials and processes in order to increase part strength. On the one hand, analyses will be carried out to determine whether or not it is possible to use the incremental forging of conventional materials to avoid downstream heat treatment for surface hardening. On the other hand, investigations should be conducted to find out if the incremental processes can be used on surfaces which have already undergone induction or case hardening. Incremental deep rolling will continue to be analysed on a transmission shaft produced at the IUL Dortmund by means of a multi-stage extrusion process. Through targeted design of extrusion tools, it should be possible to set the surface properties of the transmission shaft selectively. Final machining of the cold forged piston pin will be carried out in SP3.

In the area of hot forging at the IFUM Hanover, a contribution to lightweight design can be achieved in the production of splined parts. Due to the advantageous fibre flow of the gear rims produced by precision forging at the IFUM Hanover, they are able to bear the same loads with smaller part dimensions as gear rims produced by machining. Furthermore, it will be analysed how a warm calibration process of the precision forged gear rim with different phases (austenite, ferrite/pearlite) reacts with strain hardening through microstructural effects and a surface improvement. The forged gear rims, which are reproducible due to a fully automated process, will be made available to SP2 for heat treatment as well as for the joining process by means of forming.