Case Study: Comtes FHT eliminates ingot cracking with MSC Software Marc

Marc Heat Transfer Analysis Helps Solve Tough Forging Problem

Comtes FHT, a provider of services to the metalworking industry, was contracted to investigate why steel ingots were developing longitudinal cracks during a forging operation for their client, Pilsen Steel. They utilized MSC Software’s Marc nonlinear finite element analysis software to determine if the root cause was the thermal stress from reheating the cooled ingots in a high-temperature furnace.

MSC Software’s Marc was used to model the complex radiant heat transfer and thermal stresses within the furnace. The analysis pinpointed that the thermal gradients during heating were causing the cracks. The solution, verified through simulation, was to increase the ingots' starting temperature by 100°C before furnace insertion. When implemented by Pilsen Steel, this change, guided by MSC Software's analysis, completely eliminated the cracking problem.

Comtes FHT

Filip Tikal

Computer Modeling Specialist