Research on the process performance of scroll forming by semi-solid forging procedure for scroll hydrogen recirculating pump

Scroll hydrogen pump has become one prospective hydrogen recirculating equipment for fuel cell systems. The forming and manufacturing technology of the scroll is crucial for producing scroll hydrogen pumps owing to the complex involute shape. In this work, the semi-solid forging forming (SSFF) method is introduced to manufacture aluminium alloy scrolls for the scroll hydrogen pump. The influence of procedure parameters on process performance is studied by simulations, based on which optimal procedure parameters are identified. The scroll is then fabricated by the SSFF method with identified optimal procedure parameters. Results show that the optimal procedure parameters of the SSFF method are 630 °C, 300 °C and 50 mm/s for the material temperature, die temperature and die moving velocity, respectively. The aluminium alloy scroll formed by the SSFF method has full-shaped and smooth surfaces with an average grain dimension of 76.5 μm. Moreover, the yield strength and tensile strength of this scroll are 165 MPa and 260 MPa, respectively.