Case Study: Comtes FHT eliminates forging cracks with Hexagon Marc

Marc Heat Transfer Analysis Helps Solve Tough Forging Problem

Comtes FHT, a research and testing company, was contracted by Pilsen Steel to determine the root cause of longitudinal cracks forming on steel ingots during a forging operation. The challenge was to identify whether the cracks were caused by the process of reheating the ingots in a furnace or by the forging itself. To investigate, Comtes FHT utilized Hexagon's MSC Software Marc, a nonlinear finite element analysis tool, to simulate the complex multiphysics involved.

The solution involved using Hexagon's Marc software to create detailed 2D and 3D models of the furnace and ingots, simulating the radiant heat transfer and resulting thermal stresses. The analysis confirmed that the thermal gradients during heating were the root cause. Hexagon's simulation further showed that preheating the ingots to 700°C before placing them in the furnace would eliminate the cracking. Implementing this change completely resolved the problem for Pilsen Steel, saving them from costly production issues.

Comtes FHT

Filip Tikal

Computer Modeling Specialist