Key Engineering Materials Vols. 554-557

Abstract: Single point incremental forming has attracted the interest of researchers in the last decade for the production of prototypes and small batch production of sheet-based parts [1, 2]. This technique allows the manufacture of parts without using expensive die sets. The SPIF (Single point incremental forming) process can be performed on different equipments such as adapted CNC milling machines, serial robots and built proposed machines [3]. Every solution has advantages and disadvantages. This work presents the CAD/CAM strategies for a parallel kinematics SPIF machine, designed and built at the University of Aveiro [3]. This machine brings a new approach to the SPIF industry. The machinery used to perform SPIF operations has limitations in their work volume with limited movements and in the magnitude of applicable forces. With that in mind, this machine was projected to overcome that obstacle, and was provided with a system with 6 degrees of freedom, while maintaining the ability to apply high loads. The disadvantage is the increase in volume occupied by the kinematic system. The manufacture of new parts could be reached out with more flexibility on the chosen tool path. The first step is the product design in the commercial CAD system. Next step is generating the tool path of the forming tool. This step is very important to achieve the desired part shape. It is used a commercial CAM system (EdgeCAM 2012®), which has resources from three up to five axis strategies. The last step is to send the information to the machine’s control system, based on real-time software. This paper will describe each step with more details.

Abstract: In the industrial process, the moisture of the clay sheet obtained by extrusion and pressed to form a tile varies in time. It depends on the nature and the mixing of the raw materials during the production. In order to model and undersand the influence of the moisture on the pressing step, it is necessary to determine the parameters of the rheological and tribological laws. A study of the rheological behaviour, based on free compression tests on cylinder samples, allowed to use an elasto-visco-plastic behaviour for the extruded clay paste. The different constitutive parameters were estimated by an inverse analysis based on the experimental force/displacement curves. The identification was performed with the optimisation algorithm implemented in the commercial software Forge® 2009. The influence of the water content in the paste on the rheological parameters was identified and fitted using linear models. The friction factor was measured from tests on a rectilign tribometer. To understand the influence of the moisture, we simulated a compression test, using Forge® involving the shaping of a tile lug. This geometry is representative of the state of stress during the pressing of the tile, in an area currently sujected to defects. The numerical model show that an increase of eighteen percent of the moisture allows to decrease by half the pressing force.

Abstract: Stiffened panels are usually the basic structural building blocks of airplanes, vessels and other structures with high requirements of strength-to-weight ratio. They typically consist of a plate with equally spaced longitudinal stiffeners on one side, often with intermediate transverse stiffeners. Large aeronautical and naval parts are primarily designed based on their longitudinal compressive strength. The structural stability of such thin-walled structures, when subjected to compressive loads, is highly dependent on the buckling strength of the structure as a whole and of each structural member. In the present work, a number of modelling and numerical calculations, based on the Finite Element Method (FEM), is carried out in order to predict the ultimate load level when stiffened panels are subjected to compressive solicitations. The simulation models account not only for the elasto-plastic nonlinear behaviour, but also for the residual stresses, material properties modifications and geometrical distortions that arise from Friction Stir Welding (FSW) operations. To construct the model considering residual stresses, their distribution in FSW butt joints are obtained by means of a numerical-experimental procedure, namely the contour method, which allows for the evaluation of the normal residual stress distribution on a specimen section. FSW samples have been sectioned orthogonally to the welding line by wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). Displacements of the relaxed surfaces are then recorded using a Coordinate Measuring Machine and processed in a MATLAB environment. Finally, the residual stress distribution is evaluated by means of an elastic FE model of the cut sample, using the measured and digitalized out-of-plane displacements as input nodal boundary conditions. With these considerations, the main goal of the present work will then be related to the evaluation of the effect of FSW operations, in the ultimate load of stiffened panels with complex cross-section shapes, by means of realist numerical simulation models.

Abstract: Development of fast-neutron sodium-cooled Generation IV reactors is resulting in extremely severe environment conditions for cladding tubes [1]. Both temperature and irradiation level will increase compared to the nowadays conditions. Due to their characteristics in irradiated environment, the oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic and martensitic steels are natural candidate cladding materials[2]. However, they exhibit low deformation capabilities at room temperature, leading to problematic issues for forming such as pilgering. In order to improve the fabrication route for tubes, both metallurgical and numerical approaches can be conducted [3,4,5]. To reach predictive description of damage location and evolution, an adapated Latham and Cockoft model has been developed. This model is, of course, highly depending on the stress and strain prediction of the numerical model which itself is linked to the behavior law. In this work, we will describe an adapted material test developed in order to reproduce the cyclic, non uniform loading of the material during pilgering. An advanced cyclic beahvior law is introduced in the software. The model of Chaboche using 2 isotropic and 2 kinematic variables is chosen[6]. An inverse analysis procedure is used to identify both isotropic and kinematic hardening parameters. The results obtained using the identified behavior law are compared to both experimental observation and to other models including monotonic or cyclic laws identified on traditional test.

Abstract: The main goal of this work is made a first approach to the study of formability of sandwich structures, composed by two aluminum sheets (skins), separated by an aluminum metal foam core, using bending tests. The bending tests performed on this work, can be described as a cylindrical punch, which apply a force at the middle span of the specimens, which were have three different lengths, 114 mm, 167.5 mm and 230 mm, in a specific die. The bending tests were used to evaluate the type of yielding of the global composite structure, by measuring the force / displacement values at a middle span. The type of yielding of the global structure has extremely importance in the study of formability of this type of composite, because it was composed by two different materials; each one presents a different mechanical behavior separately. The difference in mechanical behavior can be explained by the axisymmetric compressive stress states test and by the influence of the hydrostatic pressure in the yield stress of the porous material (aluminum foam) and has no influence on the yield stress of the homogeneous solid material (aluminum sheet). With this work, experimental information on the yielding of this composite structure was obtained, to be used in numerical models to study its formability.

Abstract: Deep drawing is one of the most important operations used in sheet metal forming. Within this, forming of cylindrical cup is one of the most widely studied deep drawing processes since it allows analysing the effect of different process parameters in phenomena such as earing, springback and ironing. In fact, during the deep drawing of a cylindrical cup the blank thickness gradually increases as the blank outer diameter is reduced to the die inner diameter, resulting in a thickness increase from a point near the bottom radius until the maximum value at the top of the cup. Therefore, if the gap between the punch and the die is not sufficiently large to allow the blank material to flow, ironing of the cup wall will occur. The ironing process typically imposes high contact forces, normal to the surface of the punch and the die, which can lead to the occurrence of galling, particularly for aluminium alloys. In this work an experimental device, adopted in previous studies, was used to analyse the influence of the lubricant conditions in the deep drawing of a cylindrical cup. The study considers an AA5754-O aluminium alloy blank with a diameter of 60 mm, which is fully deep drawn with a 33 mm diameter punch. Due to the forming conditions, the cup is deep drawn and ironing of the cup wall also occurs. The experimental tests were performed considering different amounts of lubricant in the blank surfaces in the contact with the die and with the blank-holder in order to better understand the influence of these tools on the process. The experimental study was complemented with numerical simulations, exploring the conditions induced by the ironing operation, quite challenging for the numerical simulation of the process using the finite element method. Besides the influence of the contact with friction conditions in the forming process (i.e. punch force evolution, thickness distribution along the cup wall and contact pressure), the influence of the die shoulder and inner radius were also analysed.

Abstract: This work aims to contribute to the understanding of the role/influence of advanced yield criteria on the earing profile prediction after drawing and ironing, for a cylindrical cup benchmark proposed at the NUMISHEET 2011 conference [1]. Two typical materials used for can-making were considered and studied: an AA5042 aluminum alloy and an AKDQ steel. The drawing and ironing operations are performed on a special die which allows drawing and ironing in one single punch stroke in order to simplify the real process. The benchmark results report include, for each material: (i) the earing profile after drawing and ironing, presenting the cup height evolution with the angle from the rolling direction, and (ii) the evolution of punch force with punch stroke. This work presents a comparison between experimental and numerical results obtained for the aforesaid benchmark with DD3IMP in-house solver, using two sets of parameters for the Cazacu and Barlat 2001 [2] yield criterion, identified based on uniaxial tensile, equi-biaxial tension and disc compression test results. The first set uses the initial yield stress values while the second one used the flow stress values for an accumulated plastic work of 20 MPa. The results highlight the different impact of the experimental data in the earing prediction for both materials: the results for the second set are slightly improved for the AKDQ steel while for AA5042 the effect is negligible. The improved earing prediction obtained with the second set for the AKDQ steel seems to result from a better description of the stress states that occur in the flange zone.

Abstract: This study deals with the new strategy currently implemented in DD3IMP in-house code to describe the forming tools using Nagata patches. The strategy is based on the use of the Nagata patch interpolation to generate smooth contact surfaces over coarse faceted finite element meshes. The description of the adopted algorithm is briefly presented, highlighting the contact search algorithm employed. The reverse deep drawing of cylindrical cups, proposed as benchmark at the Numisheet’99 conference, is selected to examine the accuracy and robustness of the proposed approach. The effect of the gap between the blank-holder and the die is studied, adopting two distinct strategies: fixed gap and variable gap. The numerical results are compared with the experimental ones, previously presented and discussed in [1]. It is shown that the agreement is very good both in terms of punch force evolution and thickness distribution.

Abstract: The incremental sheet forming allows the production in high quality of extremely complex pieces of steel, aluminum, titanium and many other materials, in order to reduce time and costs of production and cost of tooling used in low production. Working with tools of various diameters and a suitable machine programming is possible to produce complex parts of small lots in few hours, which in conventional stamping process would take days. This paper aims to introduce process parameters and analyze results from practice tests and computational analysis by changing the rotation, advancement in XY and Z advancement, tooling options, fixture plate and forming tool for producing pieces of varying size and complexity in the shortest time and at the highest quality possible. Thus, presents the incremental sheet forming as an alternative for rapid prototyping, as well as its devices and tools.

Abstract: In this paper the influence of the bending effect in the formability of AISI 304 metal sheets in incremental forming is analyzed. For this purpose, a series of single point incremental forming tests were carried out using a variety of tool diameters and step downs. The spifability (formability in single point incremental sheet forming) of the metal sheets was studied in the light of circle grid analysis by means of the 3D deformation digital measurement system ARGUS®. The results show the importance of the bending effect, induced by the tool radius, in the enhancement of formability in incremental forming compared to conventional forming processes.