Comparison and Analysis of Stainless Steel Flange Forging and Casting Processes: Performance Differences and Industry Application Selection Guide

Comparison and Analysis of Stainless Steel Flange Forging and Casting Processes: Performance Differences and Industry Application Selection Guide

    In industrial pipeline systems, stainless steel flanges serve as the core connecting components, and their manufacturing process directly affects performance and service life. There are significant differences between the mainstream forging and casting processes in the current market. This article will deeply analyze the characteristics of both and provide scientific basis for engineering selection.

1. Essence of Process and Material Characteristics

    Forged flanges are formed through high-temperature forging, forcing metal grains to flow and form a dense structure. The streamlined structure significantly improves tensile strength (≥ 550MPa) and impact resistance, making them particularly suitable for high-pressure (such as Class 2500), high-temperature (800 ° C), or alternating load environments. Casting flanges rely on molten steel casting, which can quickly manufacture complex shapes and reduce costs by 30% -50%. However, internal defects such as pores and cracks are prone to remain, and the mechanical properties are 20% -40% lower than forged flanges.

2. Performance comparison and applicable scenarios

    Corrosion resistance: Forged stainless steel flanges (such as 316L) have a low carbon content (≤ 0.03%) and uniform structure, with stronger resistance to pitting and intergranular corrosion, making them suitable for harsh environments such as offshore platforms and chemical medium transportation. If the process control of casting flanges is insufficient, impurities may cause local corrosion, which needs to be compensated by surface coating.

Sealing reliability: The forging process reduces internal defects and reduces leakage rates by more than 60% compared to cast flanges, making it the preferred choice for petroleum refining and nuclear power systems.

Economic trade-off: Cast flanges are widely used in non critical systems such as low-pressure water supply and drainage, HVAC, etc. due to their low processing volume and mass production advantages, while forged flanges dominate high-pressure and high safety requirements.

3. Industry Trends and Technological Innovation

    With the upgrade of intelligent manufacturing, the forging process introduces robot forging and real-time flaw detection technology, improving the accuracy to ± 0.1mm while reducing energy consumption by 20%. In the field of casting, centrifugal precision casting has been developed to reduce sand hole defects and optimize grain structure. Some products have approached the level of forging performance. Under the promotion of environmental policies, the proportion of recycled stainless steel applications has increased, and both types of processes need to be adapted to low-carbon smelting technology to comply with ESG standards.

4. Selection suggestions and quality control

    The engineering team needs to make comprehensive decisions on pressure level, medium corrosiveness, and cost budget:

High pressure/high-risk media: Die forged flanges are preferred, and ASME B16.5 or EN 1092-1 certification and UT/RT testing reports need to be checked.

Complex structure/low-cost requirement: Casting flanges must ensure an X-ray inspection pass rate of ≥ 95%