X38CrMoV5 hot-work tool steel as tool material for thixoforging of steel, numerical and experimental evaluation

Whereas thixoforming of low melting point alloys as aluminum or magnesium is now an industrial reality, thixoforming of high melting point alloys, as steel, is still at the research level. High working temperature, die wearing and production rate are problems that must be solved and are under investigation. The aim of this work is to evaluate the thermal and mechanical loadings applied to the tools during the steel thixoforging process in order to determine if classical hot-work tool steel could be an appropriate tool material. This evaluation has been realized thanks to experimental trials and to simulations on the finite elements code Forge2008©. The effect of the loadings on the tool’s failure modes are highlighted and compared to the ones observed in classical hot forging. Beyond this, the failure modes of hot-work tool steel, the X38CrMoV5 or H11, is presented.