Apparatus and method for low heat transfer rate chill down during forging

Abstract

The invention includes methods and apparatus for forging and may be applied to trim processes using trim presses. Included are methods and apparatus for forging a gas turbine engine blade forging from a pre-formed workpiece having in serial relationship root, platform, and airfoil sections. A forge press includes a lower die and an upper die and the workpiece has a workpiece contact surface area for contacting a die contact surface area of the upper die during impact of the upper die against the workpiece. A workpiece is heated to a first temperature above an impact temperature, the workpiece is placed on the lower die such that the workpiece contact surface area is in an elevated position above the die contact surface area during chill down, and the ram is actuated to effect impacting of the upper die against the workpiece and contact between the workpiece contact surface area and the die contact surface area during the impacting. One embodiment includes spacing the workpiece contact surface area above the die contact surface area with a collapsible means that collapses during the impacting allowing the contact between the workpiece contact surface area and the die contact surface area during the impacting.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.