Low-lead Bronze Forged Valves

Low-lead bronze is a special alloy composed mainly of copper and tin, with small amounts of lead and other alloying elements. It is often used to manufacture valves and other liquid control equipment. Its low lead content makes it more suitable for drinking water, and other applications where high lead content may have adverse health effects.
 
As an environmentally friendly material, low-lead bronze forged valves are crucial in water treatment, petrochemicals, marine engineering, and other fields. They have excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, making them widely used in various industrial equipment. With increased environmental awareness and advancement in industrial technology, the forging process of low-lead bronze valves is also attracting increasing attention.
 
Applications
Water supply and drainage systems: water pipe systems in municipal engineering and buildings.
Industrial applications: pipes and valves used to handle chemical fluids and industrial water.
Ship and marine engineering: pipes and valves for ships and marine facilities due to their seawater corrosion resistance.
 
The manufacturing process
The forging process of low-lead bronze valves is a key step to ensure their performance and reliability. The forging process improves the material’s density and strength and ensures the valve’s stability under high pressures and high temperatures. Forging can produce valve components with complex shapes while maintaining uniformity and mechanical properties of the materials. The following are the basic process flow and key steps for forged low-lead bronze valves in general:
(1) Material preparation
Alloy elements: Low-lead bronze is usually composed of copper, tin, a small amount of lead, and other alloying elements. Ensure the alloy composition meets the design requirements.
Preheating: Preheat raw materials to appropriate temperatures to ensure plasticity and deformation during the subsequent forging process.
 
(2) Forging process
Forging blank preparation: The preheated alloy raw materials are preliminarily forged on a forging press or forging equipment to form the valve shape and structure.
Precision forging: Refine the preliminarily forged blanks, including meticulous shape and size control, to ensure accuracy and consistency of the final product. 
Heat treatment: Forged parts are heat-treated to eliminate internal stress and improve the mechanical properties of the material.
 
(3) Machining and shaping
Precision machining: Precision machining of heat-treated parts, including drilling, cutting, grinding, and other operations, can achieve the design requirements for size and surface roughness.
Surface treatment: Perform surface treatment on the valve, such as sandblasting and polishing, to improve surface quality and corrosion resistance.
 
(4) Inspection and quality control
Non-destructive testing: Check for the defects inside and on the surface of the valve through ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, and other methods.
Dimension detection: Use precision measuring tools to detect the sizes of valves to ensure that they meet the design requirements.
Chemical composition analysis: Perform chemical composition analysis on the material to ensure that the alloy ingredients and manufacturing process meet the standards and specifications.
 
(5) Assembly and testing
Valve assembly: Assemble the processed parts into the final valve product.
Performance testing: Perform performance tests such as pressure testing and sealing testing on the valve to ensure reliability and safety in actual use.
 
Through the above process flow, low-lead bronze valves can achieve the performance and functions required by the design and are suitable for various liquid control applications, especially for applications in contact with drinking water. 
 
Forging process optimization
Optimizing the forging process of low-lead bronze valves includes forging temperatures, forging speeds, mold design, and the selection of subsequent heat treatment processes. Numerical simulation and experimental verification determine the optimal combination, improving the compactness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the casting.
 
(1) Forging process parameter control
Temperature control: Strictly control the preheating and forging temperatures to ensure the appropriate forging temperature range, maintaining plasticity and deformability of the material.
Forging pressure and speed: Set reasonable forging pressure and speed according to the shape and size of the parts to ensure their shape accuracy and internal structure uniformity during the forging process.
 
(2) Process optimization and improvement
Precision forging technology: Use advanced precision forging equipment and processes to improve the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of components.
Cold forming: For components with complex shapes, cold forming technology can be considered to reduce material loss and subsequent processing procedures.
 
(3) Heat treatment and post-treatment
Heat treatment process optimization: Select appropriate heat treatment processes, such as aging treatment or solution treatment, to improve the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the material.
Surface treatment: Use appropriate surface treatment, such as polishing and sandblasting, to improve the finish and corrosion resistance of the valve surface.
 
Conclusion
Through a systematic study of the key technologies for forged low-lead bronze valves, this paper summarizes the key points of material selection, process optimization, and production process control. Future research directions include application research of new materials, the introduction of intelligent manufacturing technology and further improvement in environmental protection requirements. It is expected that with the promotion and application of these technologies, low-lead bronze valves will play a more crucial role in the industrial field.
 

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