AN INNOVATIVE METHOD FOR FORMING BALLS FROM SCRAP RAIL HEADS

The paper describes a new method for forming grinding media balls from scrap rail heads. This forming method involves the following operations: cutting the rail head to the desired length combined with lateral pressing of the produced workpiece; flashless die forging and sizing of balls in a helical impression. The proposed method was verified by numerical simulation which involved the modeling of a forming process for producing 80 mm diameter balls. As a result of the modeling, it was possible to examine the changes in the workpiece shape during each forming operation, the variations in loads and torques, as well as the distribution of temperatures enabling performing another forming operation, i.e. quenching. The results confirm that the designed method can be used to produce balls