Investigation of the Influence of Hot Forging Parameters on the Closing Conditions of Internal Metallurgical Defects in Zirconium Alloy Ingots

In this article, we present research results on the closing conditions of internal metallurgical discontinuities during the hot elongation operation of a Zr-1%Nb alloy ingot using physical and numerical modeling. Research on the influence of thermal and deformation parameters of elongation operations on the rheological behavior of a Zr-1% Nb alloy was conducted using the Gleeble 3800 metallurgical process simulator. Modeling of the influence of thermal–mechanical parameters of hot elongation operations in combinations of rhombic and flat anvils on the closure of metallurgical discontinuities was performed with the help of the FORGE(®)NxT 2.1 program. Based on the results of the research, recommendations were made regarding forging elongation technology and the geometry of working tools in order to ensure the closure of metallurgical discontinuities during hot elongation operations of Zr-1% Nb alloy ingots.