Metal cruciform journal forging and method of making such a forging

摘要

A metal journal forging has a central body portion and four substantially equal legs circular in cross section which are integral with the body portion with the axis of each leg being at substantially a right angle to the axis of each adjacent leg. A curved portion extends between each adjacent pair of legs. The flow lines of the grain structure of the forging in each quadrant formed by the axes of the legs are substantially parallel the contours of the exteriors of the legs and curved arcuate portion in the quadrant. The method for forming a metal cruciform journal forging comprises placing a metal forging billet in a die assembly having a main cavity for the reception of the metal cylinder and a pair of opposed cavities branching off from the main cavity at 90 DEG to the main cavity. Equal compressive forces are exerted on the opposite ends of the billet in the direction of the billet axis to advance each of said ends towards each other at substantially the same rate and for the same predetermined distance to form two substantially equal opposed legs in the main cavity and force a portion of the metal billet into said branching cavities to form two substantially equal opposed legs substantially equal in length to the first two mentioned legs in the main cavity.