title = "Heating Metal for Forging: Furnaces and Temperature Control"

content = """
Proper heating of billets and blanks before forging is critical to achieving the correct metal plasticity, minimizing forging force, producing sound microstructure, and avoiding defects. At Ridgecrest Metalworks, the heating operation is treated with the same rigor as the forging operation itself.

Forging temperature ranges are specific to each alloy. Low-carbon steel is typically forged between 2100–2350°F (1150–1290°C). Medium-carbon and alloy steels require more careful temperature control, with maximum temperatures below the solidus to avoid incipient melting. Aluminum alloys are forged at much lower temperatures, typically 650–900°F (343–480°C), requiring precise furnace control. Titanium alloys forge near their beta-transus temperature and require oxygen-free atmospheres to prevent alpha-case formation.

Furnace types at Ridgecrest include rotary hearth furnaces (billets are loaded on a rotating table and travel through heating zones; well-suited for high-volume production), walking beam furnaces (billets advance stepwise through the furnace on beam conveyors; excellent temperature uniformity), box or batch furnaces (for lower volume or special alloys), and induction heating systems (use electromagnetic induction to heat billets rapidly and precisely; excellent for tight temperature control and reduced scale formation).

Temperature uniformity within a billet is essential. Large billets must soak at temperature long enough to equalize temperature from surface to core. Soaking time is typically 1 hour per inch of billet diameter as a baseline, adjusted for alloy thermal conductivity. Underheating produces high forging forces and may cause die damage or internal cracking. Overheating causes excessive oxidation (scale) and grain growth; severe overheating causes burning—incipient melting at grain boundaries—which is irreversible.

Scale formation on heated steel billets must be managed. Excessive scale causes surface pitting in forgings and abrades dies. Scale is minimized by using controlled atmospheres (reducing or inert gas) where economical, or managed by descaling—mechanical scale breaking or high-pressure water jets—before the billet enters the die.

Floor operators document furnace temperatures, soak times, billet identification, and furnace conditions for each production lot.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
