Numerical investigation of the evolution of microstructure of nickel-based alloys during plastic working

The paper considers the process of hot plastic working of a large metal billet, which causes its upsetting to a dimension specified by the manufacturing technique and the average axial deformation of 32.5%. The billet was made of heat-resistant nickel alloy Waspalloy widely used in the aircraft industry. The structural condition of the deformed alloy and, consequently, its mechanical properties depend on many factors: the degree of deformation, the rate of deformation, recrystallization in the process of deformation. This generates a need for a comprehensive study of the plastic flow in the examined material and the influence of the deformation parameters on its characteristics. The paper presents the results of a numerical investigation of the deformation and temperature states of the billet that allowed us to analyze changes occurring in the structure of nickel alloy during plastic deformation at different upsetting rates (50 and 100 mm/s). The shape of billet lateral surface and the forces required to complete the process of free upsetting are calculated as well...