Abstract: Mn18Cr18N, the high-nitrogen steel, is the 2nd generation material for manufacturing the retaining ring of firepower generators. In this paper, the hot deformation behavior of the material was investigated by thermo-mechanical modeling tests. And the flow stress curves of the steel were obtained for various combinations of the temperature and strain rate.Based on the results of the tests, the complex forming process of a retaining ring including punching, expanding and extrusion with an enclosure was put forward and simulated by means of numerical simulation method. The results indicate that the process is a novel and force-saved practical technology for manufacturing heavy retaining rings.

Key words: Mn18Cr18N high-nitrogen steel, a retaining ring, the punching with an enclosure process