Sheffield Metallurgical and Engineering Association
SMEA CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION
Advances in Metals Manufacturing Technologies
17th & 18th June 2014
The Edge, The Endcliffe Village, University of Sheffield
PROGRAMME AND SUMMARY OF PAPERS
TUESDAY 17th JUNE
8.30 Registration and Coffee
10.00 CONFERENCE OPENS
Opening Address
10.45 SESSION I
PRIMARY MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
12.30 Lunch
13.30 SESSION II
FORMING PPOCESSES
15.15 Tea and Exhibition
15.50 SESSION III
JOINING PROCESSES
17.30 Close
SMEA CELEBRITY LECTURE
17.45 Coach to University.
19.00 CELEBRITY LECTURE
21.15 Coach to Endcliffe Conference Centre.
WEDNESDAY 18th JUNE
8.45 SESSION IV
NEAR NET SHAPE PROCESSES
10.35 Coffee
10.55 SESSION V
HIGH VALUE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
Closing Address
13.20 Close Conference
13.25 Lunch
Opening Address
Future Aero-engine Design: Threats and Opportunities for the Supply Chain.
Dr Alan Partridge. Chief Project Engineer - Ultrafan, Rolls-Royce.
The aerospace industry is under relentless pressure to reduce the cost of air travel while simultaneously minimising the environmental impact of the industry. For the aero-engine industry this translates into a need to reduce specific fuel consumption and fuel burn while delivering engines with lower noise signatures and reduced emissions. These factors have driven the progressive development of the Trent family of gas turbines, resulting in the development of the Trent XWB as the world’s most efficient aero-engine.
This presentation will provide a brief introduction to the Trent XWB, but will then look forwards at Rolls-Royce’s engine development and design strategy for the next 20 years. This strategy defines a number of radical changes in design architecture that will deliver significant improvements in specific fuel consumption and overall fuel burn, and drive the introduction of a range of new materials and manufacturing processes. The threats and opportunities to the existing supply chain presented by this change will be highlighted within the presentation, and a number of examples of Rolls-Royce’s key materials and manufacturing programme will be presented.
Celebrity Lecture
Big Science & Innovation.
Dr Tim Bestwick. Executive Director, Science and Technology Facilities Council.
An overview of the large-scale research facilities in the UK and CERN, including lasers, accelerators , neutron and light sources, and super computers. and how they are developed and applied to a range of applications. The aim is to push the boundaries of science and technology to foster innovation and support the growth of a high-technology UK economy.
Closing Address
Development of AMRC Factory 2050.
Professor Keith Ridgway.
Research Director
Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing. University of Sheffield.
In December 2012 researchers from the Universities of Sheffield, Loughborough and Leeds were commissioned to carry out a study on the “Factory of the Future”. The study was part of a wider study carried out on behalf of the UK Government Office for Science (GO-Science).
The aim was to identify the main trends shaping the factory of the future, seeking to provide a timely and fresh look at the long term picture for the UK manufacturing sector out to 2050. This study was part of a wider project, which was published in Autumn 2013 and will be used to inform future thinking on industrial policy.
This presentation will discuss the trends and factors identified which will shape the “Factory of the Future”. It will focus on the sectors most important to the future of UK manufacturing and exports including, aerospace, automotive, machinery and fabrications and pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
The presentation will also present details of the AMRC response to this study.
SESSION I PRIMARY MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
Chairman: Bob Ruddlestone. Manager Technical and European Affairs, UK Steel.
HIsarna Ironmaking Process Development towards Demonstration Scale.
Dr Tim Peeters. Department Manager Ironmaking, IJmuiden Technology Centre, Tata Steel.
Since the start of the HIsarna project in 2009, four experimental campaigns have been launched from 2011 to 2014. The results obtained thus far have confirmed the initial assumptions about energy efficiency and CO2 reduction potential. A variety of raw materials has been tested successfully to investigate and expand the operating window with respect to process flexibility and stability. Low, medium and high volatile coals as well as low grade iron ore were included. In the presentation an outlook will be given on the technological advances and the views of bringing this project to the stage of a demonstration scale of operation. This will be put into the perspective of addressing the challenge of global climate change and the medium term development of the steel industry
Developments in Continuous Casting of Steel and Aluminium.
Mick Steeper. Manager Technology, Siemens Metals Technologies.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the world’s first 100% continuous casting operation at Shelton. Continuous casting is a mature technology then, but there remain areas of active and potential development and this presentation aims to review them. The original objective of the efficient and consistent production of feedstock for mills is still valid, but new ideas of what constitutes consistency and efficiency are in play. Product attributes that are conventionally the domain of the solid-phase conversion processes are being partly, and in some cases wholly, developed in the caster. These include the direct casting of clad plates (in aluminium, pioneered in Novelis’ Fusion process) and the generation of near-wrought microstructures in cast metal. The central concept of “near net shape” is being redefined, with variable section casting and rolling now technically feasible. Further technical process therefore depends on the investability of commodity metals manufacturing industries.
Advances in Understanding of Surface and Internal State Properties during Hot Forming.
Dr Didier Farrugia. Research Fellow, Swinden Technology Centre, Tata Steel.
The drive towards premium products with higher surface quality, better resistance to ductility breakup, improved soundness and structure-property requires an improved understanding of the dependencies between composition and hot forming processing conditions. A selection of targeted surface and internal state properties ranging from ductility breakup (edge cracking), oxidation/descaling and friction, plus consolidation of porosity are key areas.
A combined strategy of detailed experimentation – tailored mechanical testing, using for instance in-situ/ex-situ 3D tomography; embedded micro-grid technology for local strain measurement; use of simulation material, plus computer modelling has been developed.
This presentation will highlight ways of developing a greater understanding of the intrinsic mechanisms acting at the level of the microstructure and material. Challenges of linking this strategy and integrating knowledge with higher level production and instrumentation data as well as models will be briefly highlighted. Although focused on hot rolling of steel products, some of the key elements, issues and directions presented will be common and transferable to other forming processes such as hot forging, as well as range of other materials.
Current and Future Research at the Materials Processing Institute.
Christopher McDonald. Managing Director. Materials Processing Institute.
Teesside Technology Centre specialises in developing technologies from fundamental research through to commercialisation. Significant use is made of pilot and up-scaling facilities, including a world class facility in liquid metal processing, the Normanton Pilot Plant. These facilities were recently augmented by the addition of pilot scale gasification and pyrolysis equipment. The aim of this investment is to research new technologies for the disposal of wastes, generation of energy and production of syngas and is been carried out jointly with the Centre for Process Innovation, also at Teesside.
These recent investments have shifted the centre from its core base of steel processing, into other materials areas and this will continue as the centre is divested from Tata Steel, to become an independent, not-for-profit technology centre for the materials and energy sectors, to be known as the Materials Processing Institute (MPI). Tata Steel is working with three partners: Harsco Metals, CPi and Tees Valley Unlimited, to set up MPI, as a membership based organisation. New developments already taking place include: a BIS sponsored project into industrial energy use, production of specialist 7T batch steels, establishing a SME Technology Centre and the development of a centre for doctoral training. MPI aims to expand into other areas of materials processing, including: other metals, ceramics, where it is already active and graphene processing.
13.30 SESSION II FORMING PROCESSES
Chairman: Mick Steeper. Manager Technology, Siemens Metals Technologies.
Developments in Forming Technologies.
Dr Michael Ward. Technical Director,
Advanced Forming Research Centre, University of Strathclyde.
Metal forming and forging processes have been in existence since ancient times and have been operated at an industrial scale for as long as any manufacturing techniques. In the perception of many observers the traditional and established nature of these processes calls into question their position in the taxonomy of advanced or high value manufacturing technologies. This perception is exacerbated by the emergence of a broad range of competing technologies, especially in the form of high speed machining and additive manufacturing techniques, and by competing materials notably composites. These methods and materials seem to be much more naturally predisposed to offer the flexibility and configurability required to support future products and markets. This presentation explores the position of metal deformation processes in today’s manufacturing technology landscape and outlines the necessary areas of development in metal shaping technology to support a future on next generation engineered products.
Forging and Forming at Sheffield Forgemasters.
Dr Sinan Al-Bermani. Development Engineer, RD26 Sheffield Forgemasters International.
Sheffield Forgemasters uses forging and forming techniques to produce large components for heavy engineering, including power generation. In order to produce low volume - high cost parts, research and development is carried out to characterise material (steel) behaviour, design forging/forming tools and to model flow behaviour. Heat treatment processes are scrutinised and design of agitation systems ensure the required microstructures (and therefore properties) are produced. A large emphasis is placed on computer simulation, during which the above processes are iterated and refined. This methodology helps to minimise risk on first-of-a-kind components. These operations are used to ensure these large components are produced successfully. This presentation discusses several high-value components that have been produced over recent years using both forging and forming.
Advances in Superplastic Forming for Gas Turbine Applications.
Dr Steven Halliday. Partnership Manager - Rolls-Royce,
Advanced Forming Research Centre, University of Strathclyde.
Describes recent advances in Superplastic Forming , with a primary focus on titanium fan blade applications for aerospace gas turbines Industrial drivers for improvement in Superplastic Forming will be reviewed to position and review R&D activity underway within the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), one of seven UK Manufacturing Research Centres within the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult.
Technical case studies will be reviewed which span a series of projects coordinated via the Technology Strategy Board, Rolls-Royce and the Advanced Forming Research Centre, covering fundamental understanding on Superplastic Forming for titanium materials, through to full-scale experimental trials on fan blades. Equipment and techniques available via the Advanced Forming Research Centre will be described, including capabilities to understand Superplastic Forming characteristics at the titanium-die interface, using advanced thermal imaging techniques at both coupon and full-size component scale.
Incremental Forming Techniques – Blacksmithing for the 21st Century.
Professor Jeff Brooks. School of Metallurgy and Materials. University of Birmingham.
Forming technologies such as spinning and single point forming are mechanised extensions of the blacksmiths art and can be considered, along with rotary forging and flow forming as incremental forming techniques as they use moving volumes of highly localised plasticity to give rise to the macroscopic shape changes required. In a manufacturing context. This results in equipment with lower force requirements, the ability to form parts at ambient temperatures and reduced tooling costs as the shape is imparted by the tool motion, rather than part specific dies. In addition the highly localised nature of the deformation allows the possibility of manipulating the stress state to provide non-proportional loading and facilitate large deformations without exceeding the ductility limit of the material.
Traditionally these processes have been applied to the manufacture of specific, generally axisymmetric, parts. However the introduction of process simulation tools, particularly when applied in the context of an ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering) approach, provides an opportunity for lower cost higher productivity manufacture.
The presentation will address the design and implementation of the hardware associated with these processes as well as discussing modelling approaches and the understanding of the complex stress states
SESSION III JOINING PROCESSES
Chairman: Andy Backhouse. Technical Manager, Outokumpu Stainless Distribution.
Deep Sea Dry Hyperbaric Welding.
Dr Supriyo Ganguly.
Welding Engineering and Laser Processing Centre, Cranfield University.
Deep sea dry hyperbaric welding is used for sleeve repair of existing pipelines and to weld tie-ins and hot tap to connect new pipeline layouts to an existing field. In this process, welding is carried out at an elevated pressure within a chamber on the seabed. As the chamber is pressurised to displace the water, magnitude of the pressure is proportional to the depth of the seabed. Welded structures fabricated under such condition are susceptible to form hard shear induced phases from fast cooling due to thicker pipe sections and low surrounding temperature. The moist environment may result in hydrogen entrapment during welding and resulting environment assisted cracking. The present work explores the applicability of using laser as an online and additional heat source to eliminate hydrogen assisted cracking by modifying the phase constituent and diffusing excess dissolved hydrogen out of the weld metal.
Local Vacuum Systems for Power Beam Material Processing.
Chris Punshon. Consultant, TWI Ltd.
Power beams (electron and laser beams) have been employed for welding, cutting, melting and surface treatment of metallic materials for the past half century both at atmospheric pressure and in vacuum. For the electron beam (EB) process a vacuum atmosphere is almost essential to prevent electron scattering and for electrical insulation reasons. For for the laser beam (LB) processes operation at atmospheric pressure is the norm, but huge process capability improvements are possible by operation in vacuum. The traditional approach to providing a vacuum environment for both processes is through the use of a vacuum chamber completely enveloping the parts or assemblies to be processed. This approach has been shown to have some limitations due to the restriction on the size of parts that can be accommodated and the cost and complexity of pumping. This paper describes the application of local vacuum technology in a variety of configurations which have been demonstrated to date or proposed as possible engineering solutions to local vacuum deployment.