Research on formability of 5052 aluminum alloy sheet in a quasi-static–dynamic tensile process

In order to establish the efficacy of electromagnetically assisted sheet metal stamping (EMAS), the formability of 5052 aluminum alloy sheet in a quasi-static–dynamic tensile process is experimentally investigated using a combined quasi-static tension and the pulsed electromagnetic forming (EMF) method. Data on the formability of aluminum alloy 5052-O employing this combined loading method is compared with data for traditional quasi-static tensile tests. Results show that the formability of aluminum alloy sheet undergoing a quasi-static–dynamic tensile process is dramatically increased beyond that exhibited in quasi-static tensile tests, and a little higher than or at least similar with that obtained in the fully dynamic EMF process. The forming limits of aluminum samples with both low and high pre-strain levels are almost similar in quasi-static–dynamic tensile process, which makes it possible stretching the sheet to a higher quasi-static pre-strain level without weakening its total quasi-static–dynamic formability. This would enable the use of a quasi-static pre-form fairly close to the quasi-static material limits for design of an EMAS process in manufacturing large aluminum alloy shell parts.     

Numerical modeling and deformation analysis for electromagnetically assisted deep drawing of AA5052 sheet

Electromagnetic forming(EMF) is a high-velocity manufacturing technique which uses electromagnetic (Lorentz) body forces to shape sheet metal parts. One of the several advantages of EMF is the considerable ductility increase observed in several metals, with aluminum featuring prominently among them. Electromagnetically assisted sheet metal stamping(EMAS) is an innovative hybrid sheet metal processing technique that combines EMF into traditional stamping. To evaluate the efficiency of this technique, an experimental scheme of EMAS was established according to the conventional stamping of cylindrical parts from aluminum and the formability encountered was discussed. Furthermore, a “multi-step, loose coupling” numerical scheme was proposed to investigate the deformation behaviors based on the ANSYS Multiphysics/LS-DYNA platform through establishing user-defined subroutines. The results show that electromagnetically assisted deep drawing can remarkably improve the formability of aluminum cylindrical parts. The proposed numerical scheme can successfully simulate the related Stamping-EMF process, and the deformation characteristics of sheet metal reflect experimental results. The predicted results are also validated with the profiles of the deformed sheets in experiments.     

Experimental Observations of 5A02 Aluminum Alloy in Electromagnetically Assisted Tube Hydroforming

To establish the efficiency of electromagnetically assisted tube hydroforming, a typical experimental test for hydroforming, i.e., hydrobulging, was carried out on a 5A02 tube blank by using a combined quasi-static axial feeding and pulsed electromagnetic hydrobulging method. Data on the formability of an aluminum alloy 5A02 tube employing this combined loading method is compared with data for traditional quasi-static tests. The results show that the formability of aluminum alloy undergoing a quasi-static–dynamic process is dramatically increased beyond that exhibited in quasi-static or fully dynamic tests. The ultimate expansion ratio of an aluminum alloy tube undergoing a pulsed electromagnetic hydrobulging process is greatly increased beyond that exhibited in quasi-static hydrobulging tests. Both the expansion ratio and the effective strain exhibited in electromagnetically assisted tube hydroforming tests are about four and two times of that in quasi-static and fully dynamic hydrobulging tests, respectively. The forming limits of aluminum samples with both low and high prestrain levels are almost similar in the electromagnetically assisted tube hydroforming process, which makes it possible to stretch the aluminum alloy to a higher quasi-static prestrain level without weakening its total quasi-static–dynamic formability.     

Application of electromagnetic-assisted stamping (EMAS) technique in incremental sheet metal forming

The application of high velocity electromagnetic-assisted stamping (EMAS) technique in incremental sheet metal forming has been proposed. EMAS whose principle is based on Lorenz force is a hybrid forming process that uses both quasi-static conventional stamping technique and electromagnetic forming actuators built into sharp corners and other difficult-to-form contours to form metals. The recent push to use more artificial intelligent (AI) aluminum alloys in automobile and aircraft industries as a result of increasing demand for fuel efficient cars and aircrafts, large size vehicle panels, improved formability limit of materials and weight reduction have placed EMAS as one of the best high velocity forming technique.It is believed that the end result of this vision will lead to more cost effective land and aerospace vehicles.     

5052铝合金板材磁脉冲动态拉伸塑性失稳分析

为揭示磁脉冲成形的增塑机制,采用理论分析与微观组织观察相结合的方法对5052铝合金板材磁脉冲动态拉伸过程中动态成形行为和塑性失稳机制进行了系统研究.结果表明,惯性力在动态成形中起主要作用,惯性力对试样的结构失稳具有抑制作用,从而使试样的塑性提高并产生分散失稳;5052铝合金动态成形和准静态成形的成形性质相似,不会产生特殊的组织结构,塑性变形机制均为位错滑移机制;准静态成形过程以均匀单系位错滑移为主,断裂伴随着位错的缠结和攀移;而动态成形过程中,位错滑移趋于多系开动,在大面积区域出现明显的交滑移现象,且滑移带较准静态成形时窄且密,位错组态更均匀;动态成形的多系滑移和位错均化作用可在比准静态成形高的多的塑性应变水平下形成,从而使材料表现出较高的塑性和强度.     

粘性介质反向压力胀形对5A02铝合金板成形性的影响

粘性介质压力成形(ViscousPressureForming,VPF)是一种适合于难变形材料板金零件制造的软模成形工艺。采用粘性介质胀形实验研究了反向压力对5A02铝合金板料成形性能的影响,结果表明在一定范围内的反向压力有利于抑制板料的平面各向异性,而在更高的反向压力条件下板料具有更好的成形性。     

电磁平板自由胀形3D数值模拟(英文)

电磁成形是一种高速率成形方法,它能够有效提高金属板材的成形极限。但是电磁成形过程复杂,涉及到磁场?结构场之间的耦合分析。数值模拟提供一种手段去解决耦合问题。然而,大多数的数值模拟都限于2D。建立3D有限元模型去分析电磁平板胀形。成形过程中考虑了板料与底模的接触和板料变形对磁场的影响。板料中心节点和半径20mm处节点的位移随着时间的变化与实验结果一致。分析了塑性应变能和塑性应变。     

管件电磁胀形极限的实验研究

电磁成形可明显提高铝合金的的成形性，因此在汽车工业中有广泛的应用前景。本文根据电磁胀形特点对管件电磁胀形的成形极限进行实验研究，建立了1060纯铝和3A21铝合金的电磁成形极限线，并且研究了尺寸对3A21铝环的极限成形性能的影响。     

The development of a forming limit surface for 5083 aluminum alloy sheet

A custom mechanical stretching setup based on the Nakazima method was designed and built for testing sheet metals at elevated temperatures. Specimens from a fine-grained 5083 aluminum alloy sheet were deformed at various temperatures, spanning between those associated with warm forming (250°C) and hot forming (550°C). Circle grid analysis of the deformed specimens produced the forming limit curves at each of the covered temperatures, hence revealing the great influences of forming temperature on the material’s formability limits. Finally, all the curves were combined to construct a unique three-dimensional forming limit surface, which we present here as a more comprehensive map for describing material formability limits at wide-ranging temperatures.     

Effects of process parameters on warm and electromagnetic hybrid forming of magnesium alloy sheets

As the lightest structural metal, magnesium (Mg) is attracting increasing interest from both the industrial and academic fields. Magnesium alloy parts are mainly processed by die casting due to their poor sheet formability at room temperature. Warm forming is a popular method of forming; Mg alloy sheets produced in this manner show excellent formability around 200-400 °C. Electromagnetic forming (EMF) can improve the formability of metal sheets without the need for lubricants. In this paper, a new approach, called warm and electromagnetic hybrid forming (WEMF), is presented. The effects of voltage, capacity, and temperature on the bulging height of Mg alloy sheets are investigated. Results show that the bulging height of Mg sheets increases with moderate discharging energies. Enhancing the discharging voltage is also a more efficient method for increasing bulging height compared to simply increasing the capacity. When the discharging energy is kept constant, the bulging height first decreases (<150 °C) and then increases (>150 °C) from room temperature to 230 °C. The formability of Mg alloy sheets improves with increasing temperature, while the forming efficiency of WEMF decreases under similar conditions.     

基于韧性断裂准则的铝合金板材成形极限预测

为了准确地预测铝合金板材成形极限，将韧性断裂准则引入到数值模拟中。在数值模拟获得的应力应变值基础上，采用简单拉伸试验和数值模拟相结合的方法确定了韧性断裂准则中的材料常数，并应用该韧性断裂准则预测了铝合金LYl2(M)的圆筒件拉深和半球形凸模胀形的成形极限。预测结果与实验值吻合较好，该韧性断裂准则能够预测铝合金板材成形极限。     

超声振动效应对TA2钛合金板材力学及胀形性能影响

针对钛合金板材塑性变形能力差的问题,进行了超声振动辅助成形工艺的研究,分析超声振动对钛合金TA2板材力学性能及与接触面之间摩擦系数的影响。在此基础上进行了不同宽长比坯料的超声振动辅助胀形实验,分析超声振动对TA2板材胀形力、极限胀形高度的影响。同时,基于网格应变原理,通过不同宽长比坯料极限应变的测量,建立TA2板材的成形极限图。研究结果表明,选择合适的超声振动辅助成形工艺参数, 不仅可以提高TA2板材变形能力,还可以减小摩擦对板材成形性能的影响,从而有效提高了TA2板材的成形极限。     

工业铝合金汽车覆盖件的超塑成形研究

采用工业铝合金 5 1 82就一款汽车上的前挡泥板零件进行了超塑成形的试验研究。根据零件的形状特点确定使用超塑气压胀形工艺 ,并进行了模具型腔曲面设计和模具结构设计。应用数值模拟的方法对型腔曲面设计进行了优化 ,使预测出成形零件所需的变形量处在材料的变形能力之内。最终的成形试验结果表明 ,成形工艺和模具设计合理可行。     

应用韧性断裂准则预测不同材料的胀形极限

为了准确地预测板料成形极限 ,将韧性断裂准则引入到有限元模拟中。在有限元模拟获得的应力应变场基础上 ,应用韧性断裂准则预测板料断裂的发生。本文应用作者提出的韧性断裂准则及材料常数的确定方法预测了铝合金板和钢板的半球形凸模胀形的成形极限。与实验结果比较表明 ,该方法能在较宽的材料范围内预测胀形成形极限。     

Mechanism investigation of friction-related effects in single point incremental forming using a developed oblique roller-ball tool

Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is a highly versatile and flexible process for rapid manufacturing of complex sheet metal parts. In the SPIF process, a ball nose tool moves along a predefined tool path to form the sheet to desired shapes. Due to its unique ability in local deformation of sheet metal, the friction condition between the tool and sheet plays a significant role in material deformation. The effects of friction on surface finish, forming load, material deformation and formability are studied using a newly developed oblique roller ball (ORB) tool. Four grades of aluminum sheet including AA1100, AA2024, AA5052 and AA6111 are employed in the experiments. The material deformation under both the ORB tool and conventional rigid tool are studied by drilling a small hole in the sheet. The experimental results suggest that by reducing the friction resistance using the ORB tool, better surface quality, reduced forming load, smaller through-the-thickness-shear and higher formability can be achieved. To obtain a better understanding of the frictional effect, an analytical model is developed based on the analysis of the stress state in the SPIF deformation zone. Using the developed model, an explicit relationship between the stress state and forming parameters is established. The experimental observations are in good agreement with the developed model. The model can also be used to explain two contrary effects of friction and corresponding through-the-thickness-shear: increase of friction would potentially enhance the forming stability and suppress the necking; however, increase of friction would also increase the stress triaxiality and decrease the formability. The final role of the friction effect depends on the significance of each effect in SPIF process.     

A Comparative Study of Different Necking Criteria for Numerical and Experimental Prediction of FLCs

For sheet metal forming, the determination of the onset of localized necking directly influences the formability evaluation and construction of forming limit curves (FLCs). Several necking criteria in the literature have been proposed and widely used, however, there are some restrictions, e.g., some criteria are suitable for numerical methods but not for the experimental phase. In this study, numerical and experimental procedures are carried out to seek an appropriate necking criterion for the prediction of FLCs. This article begins with the FE modeling of the Marciniak test with ABAQUS. Based on the FE simulation, different necking criteria (global and local ones) are reviewed and analyzed in detail, and the FLCs for a 5086 aluminum sheet are constructed with these criteria. On the other hand, a quasi-static experimental Marciniak test is carried out to study the formability for this given sheet. With a chosen necking criterion, the limit strains are experimentally determined. The comparison between experimental and numerical results shows that the chosen necking criterion could be effective to numerically and experimentally evaluate the global formability of this aluminum alloy on the wide range of strain states.     

Research on sheet-metal flexible-die forming using a magnetorheological fluid

Related studies showed that viscosity has a great effect on the formability of sheet metal in viscous pressure forming. However, the viscosity of viscous medium keeps constant in VPF. In this paper, a new flexible-die forming method for sheet metal using magnetorheological (MR) fluids, magnetorheological pressure forming (MRPF), is proposed, which enables the viscosity of flexible-die medium adjustable by changing the magnetic fields during the forming process. Squeezing tests of MR fluid show that its rheological behavior can be changed greatly under different magnetic fields. Magnetorheological pressure bulging tests of Al1060 sheet are conducted on the self-designed experimental apparatus. Experimental results show that MR fluids can be used effectively as a flexible-die medium to form the parts and its rheological behavior can be adjusted during bulging process. Variation of MR fluid's rheological behavior can lead to different forming pressure load paths and have an effect on sheet metal formability. For the same piston stroke of 8.0 mm, when the magnetic flux density is 0.180 T and 0.318 T, average dome height of bulging specimen is 8.71 mm and 10.61 mm, respectively. The value increases significantly by 21.8%. At the same time, the maximum thickness strain increases from −9.2% to −23.0%.     

Improvement of formability of 6xxx aluminum alloys using incremental forming technology

Aluminum sheet is becoming increasingly common as an automotive body panel material. The heat-treatable aluminum alloys of the 6xxx series are widely used as an outer panel material, due to their ability to precipitation harden during the paint-bake cycle, resulting in improved dent resistance. Increasing the formability of these alloys would allow for multiple parts of less complex geometry to be combined into a single more complex part, thereby avoiding the costs associated with any subsequent joining operations. Incremental forming is a process that can improve material formability through the use of short, recovery heat treatments applied between increments of deformation. The objective of this study was to investigate the incremental forming behavior of 6111-T4 an alloy, which is often used for exterior body panel applications. Interrupted tensile testing was used to simulate the incremental forming process. The effect of different heat-treatment parameters on mechanical properties was analyzed. The heat treat regimen developed for uniaxial testing was then applied to a series of plane strain tests using a hemispherical punch, to simulate the more complex states of stress found in forming operations.     

Evaluation of effect of flow stress characteristics of tubular material on forming limit in tube hydroforming process

The material properties for the analytical and numerical simulation in sheet metal processes, especially in tube hydroforming process, are generally obtained from the uniaxial tensile test of raw sheet material. However, the validation of the formability and reliability of the numerical simulation for the tube hydroforming process arises from the fact that the material characteristics of tubes are different from those of the raw sheet materials. In order to determine the most suitable material property of the tubular material for the evaluation of forming limit on the THF process, the uniaxial tensile test for the specimens of the raw sheet metal and the roll-formed tube and the free bulge test for the roll-formed tubular material are carried out in this paper. The forming limit curves are also derived using plastic instability based on three kinds of necking criteria, which are Hill’s local necking criterion for sheet and Swift’s diffuse necking criteria for sheet and tube, to describe and explain the forming limits for the roll-formed tubular material in the THF process. In order to acquire the informative data on the forming limit curves in the THF process, the loading condition of the free bulge test is controlled. The proper band from nearly necking initiation to nearly bursting initiation has been defined for the roll-formed tubular material in the THF process. It can be concluded that the flow stress of the tubular material should be determined from the actual free bulge test to find the practically valuable forming limit curve for the THF process.     

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Temperature Effect on Thickness Distribution in Warm Hydroforming of Aluminum Tubes

Reduction of weight and increase of corrosion resistance are among the advantageous applications of aluminum alloys in automotive industry. Producing complicated components with several parts as a uniform part not only increases their strength but also decreases the production sequences and costs. However, achieving this purpose requires sufficient formability of the material. Tube hydroforming is an alternative process to produce complex products. In this process, the higher the material formability the more uniform will be the thickness distribution. In this research, tube hydroforming of aluminum alloy (AA1050) at various temperatures has been investigated numerically to study temperature effect on thickness distribution of final product. Also a warm hydroforming set-up has been designed and manufactured to evaluate numerical results. According to numerical and experimental results in the case of free bulging, unlike the constrained bulging, increase of the process temperature causes more uniform thickness distribution and therefore increases the material formability.