CLOSED die forgings have long been preferred by engineers for dynamically loaded or highly stressed machine and vehicle parts for various reasons, such as: superior engineering properties, uniformity of quality, and low cost of producing the final finished geometry.
A few years ago, crankshafts for road vehicle engines were among the heaviest closed die forgings being made in quantity production.
Then crankcases and crankshafts for aircraft engines, components for landing gear, airframe members, and propeller parts progressively presented needs for larger and better closed die forgings.
Mr. Dixon discusses here some of the resulting developments: hammers of larger capacity, improvements in heating and die blocks, and the like.