A FORGE SUITABLEFOR METAL FORGING IN THE METALLURGICAL WORKSHOP

The aim of this research is to design, fabricate a forge equipment and thereafter carryout performance evaluation of an improved forge facility suitable for use in blacksmithing at the metallurgy laboratory of the University of Benin. . This project aims to build the first forge facility in UNIBEN’s Metallurgical andMaterials Engineering department using local materials. It will provide hands-onlearning for students and staff, bridging the gap between theory and practice. The methodology employed in this study involves identifying problems andinefficiencies in a traditional forge, Review existing forge designs, their strengths, andweaknesses, Creation of a CAD model of an improved forge, Fabrication of the forgewith a solar-powered forced draft for better airflow and combustion, Runningof experiments to evaluate efficiency and effectiveness and Analysis of the results andprovide recommendations for further improvements. From the results of the study,some observations were made that increasing the oxygensupply with the M5 blower ( forced draft) improved combustion efficiency. Morecharcoal led to higher forge temperatures, reaching 938°C with 600g of fuel. With better combustion, aluminum softened faster, reducing the time needed to reachits forging temperature (300–400°C) from 7 minutes to just 4. In general, using morebiomass resulted in higher temperatures and shorter heating times. Overall, this study contributes to the development an affordable forge facility that canbe locally produced and used for forge operations in the department of Materials andMetallurgical Engineering and Nigeria by extension for industrial and researchapplications.