Development of Neural Networks to Study Flow Behavior of Medium Carbon Microalloyed Steel During Hot Forming

In the present article, the application of an artificial neural network (ANN) model whose function is the development of plastic instability maps of a medium carbon microalloyed steel during the hot forming process is studied. Secondly, we proceed to create another ANN capable of providing the recrystallized grain size in the steady state resulting from forming deformation. We start from the experimental data of a medium carbon microalloyed steel obtained by hot compression tests with strain rates that vary between 10−4 s−1 and 3 s−1 and in a range of temperatures between 900 °C and 1150 °C. These experimental data are used to train the proposed ANN and obtain flow curves. Finally, the processing maps are developed by applying the dynamic materials model (DMM), according to which the safe hot forming domains and the plastic instability domains of the studied material are delineated. The comparison between the ANN and the experimental maps is carried out. It is ascertained that the optimal regions of forging in the ANN maps coincide with those obtained in the experimental maps. In addition, a study of the influence of the microstructure on the behavior of the studied steel during hot forming is carried out.