NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF STRAIGHT-LINE LASER FORMING UNDER THE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT MECHANISM

Laser forraing is a new flexible and dieless forming technique. To achieve the high accuracy forming, the temperature gradient mechanism （TGM） is studied. In the analysis of TGM, the plate bends about x-axis and about y-axis as well. To understand the deformation trend, the numerical simulation of deformation of plate is conducted by choosing different laser powers, laser spot diameters, scanning speeds, lengths, widths and thicknesses. From the results of simulation, it can be seen that the laser spot diameter, the scanning speed, laser power and thickness of plate play dominant roles in the laser forming process. However, the bending angles αx and αy show different trends with the variation of parameters. In addition, in comparison with above four parameters, the effect of length and width of plate on the beading angle may be neglected, but their effects are significant for the bending radius R.

FEM SIMULATION FOR LASER FORMING PROCESSING

Laser forming involves heating sheet metal workpiece along a certain path with adefocused laser beam directed irradiate to the surface. During laser forming, a tran-sient temperature fields is caused by the irradiation and travelling of a laser beam.Consequently, thermal expansion and contraction take place, and allows the thermal-mechanical forming of complex shapes. This is a new manufacturing technique thatforming metal sheet only by thermal stress. Therefore, the analysis of temperaturefields and stress fields are very useful for studying the forming mechanism and con-trolling the accuracy of laser forming. The non--liner finite element solver, MARC, isemployed to solve the thermal--mechanical analysis. Using this model, the stress andstrain distribution of pure aluminum plate with different thickness are analyzed. Theinfluence of scanning speed on temperature fields and plastic strain of metal sheet un-der the condition of constant line energy are also presented. Numerical results agreewell with the experimental results.

Improving a Laser Machine for Laser Forming of Metals

Laser forming is a flexible metal forming process without a die. At present, for this innovative process no exclusive equipment is commercially available. In this paper, some improving measures including temperature monitoring system, shape monitoring system, cooling system and rotary segment have been proposed on the basis of the general NC laser machine in order to meet the special requirements for laser forming of metals. The improved laser machine may be conveniently used to control dynamically and record the whole laser forming process of metals.

Prediction model for determining the optimum operational parameters in laser forming of fiber-reinforced composites

Composite materials are widely employed in various industries,such as aerospace,automobile,and sports equipment,owing to their lightweight and strong structure in comparison with conventional materials.I aser material processing is a rapid technique for performing the various processes on composite materials.In particular,laser forming is a flexible and reliable approach for shaping fiber-metal laminates(FML.s),which are widely used in the aerospace industry due to several advantages,such as high strength and light weight.In this study,a prediction model was developed for determining the optimal laser parameters(power and speed)when forming FML composites.Artificial neural networks(ANNs)were applied to estimate the process outputs(temperature and bending angle)as a result of the modeling process.For this purpose,several ANN models were developed using various strategies.Finally,the achieved results demonstrated the advantage of the models for predicting the optimal operational parameters.

Process designing for laser forming of circular sheet metal

Laser forming is a new type of flexible manufacturing process that has become viable for the shaping of metallic components. Process designing of laser forming involves finding a set of process parameters, including laser power, laser scanning paths, and scanning speed, given a prescribed shape. To date, research has focused on process designing for rectangular plates, and only a few studies are presented for axis-symmetric geometries like circular plates. In the present study, process designing for axis-symmetric geometries--with focus on class of shapes--is handled using a formerly proposed distance-based approach. A prescribed shape is achieved for geometries such as quarter-circular and half-circular ring plates. Experimental results verify the applicability of the proposed method for a class of shapes.

Deformation Behaviors of Laser Forming of Ring Sheet Metals

Laser forming is a highly flexible sheet metal forming technique. In laser forming along curved irradiation paths, the heated zone is bigger and the effects of the processing parameters on the deformation are complex. The deformation behaviors of laser forming of ring sheet metals have been investigated from the thermal-mechanics analysis by the finite element (FE) simulation based on the proposed finite element method model. The effects of ring central angle and scanning path on deformation of ring sheet metal were investigated. The results are as follows: (1) in comparison with the laser bending along linear path, the marked third point has two peak temperatures during the laser forming process along curved path; (2) the forming process fluctutes continuously and the sheet edge is warped because the rigid-ends effect due to the restriction of sheet; (3) when the ring central angle increases, the displacement difference of the marked three points decreases and then increases, and the warped curvature of sheet edge decreases; (4) when the laser beam diameter increases, the displacement difference of the marked three points decreases and the warped curvature increases.

An approach to form the dome shape by 3D laser forming

Application of a thermal source in non-contact forming of sheet metal is known for some time. Replacement of this thermal source with a laser beam promises the much greater controllability of the process. To date, research focuses on dealing with rectangular plates, and only a few studies are presented for axis-symmetric geometries like circular plates. This study presents the work to get the dish or bowl shape by an initially flat circular plate. Two different scanning strategies circular and radial are attempted to get the desired dish shape. Following the unexpected distortion throughout the plate, a second series of experiments are conducted on a wide range of specimen geometries. An interesting phenomenon is observed. It is suggested that homogeneous dissemination of heat along with combined form of both of the scanning strategies, could have more potential to form dome shape.

Heat-treated microstructure and mechanical properties of laser solid forming Ti-6Al-4V alloy

The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser solid forming （LSF） Ti-6Al-4V alloy were investigated The influences of the temperature and time of solution treatment and aging treatment were analyzed. The results show that the microstructure of LSFed samples consists of Widmanstatten α laths and a little acicular in columnar prior β grains with an average grain width of 300 μm, which grow epitaxiaUy from the substrate along the deposition direction （27）. Solution treatment had an important effect on the width, aspect ratio, and volmne fraction of primary and secondary a laths, and aging treatment mainly affects the aspect ratio and volume fraction of primary α laths and the width and volume fraction of secondary a laths. Globular a phase was first observed in LSFed samples when the samples were heat treated with solution treatment （950℃, 8 h/air cooling （AC）） or with solution treatment （950℃, 1 h/AC） and aging treatment （550℃, above 8 h/AC）, respectively. The coarsening and globularization mechanisms of a phase in LSFed Ti-6Al-4V alloy during heat treatment were presented. To obtain good integrated mechanical properties for LSFed Ti-6Al-4V alloys, an optimized heat treatment regimen was suggested.

Fabrication of directional solidification components of nickel-base superalloys by laser metal forming

Straight plates, hollow columns, ear-like blade tips, twist plates withdirectional solidification microstructure made of Rene 95 superalloys were successfully fabricatedon Nickel-base superalloy and DD3 substrates, respectively. The processing conditions for productionof the parts with corresponding shapes were obtained. The fabrication precision was high and thecomponents were compact. The solidification microstructure of the parts was analyzed by opticalmicroscopy. The results show that the solidification microstructure is composed of columnardendrites, by epitaxial growth onto the directional solidification substrates. The crystallographyorientation of the parts was parallel to that of the substrates. The primary arm spacing was about10 mum, which is in the range of superfine dendrites, and the secondary arm was small or evendegenerated. It is concluded that the laser metal forming technique provides a method to manufacturedirectional solidification components.

Solidification Microstructure of Rene95 Superalloy by Laser Metal Forming

Rene95 powder and different substrates were selected to be conducted by the laser metal forming technique. It is found that the cladding layers with either columnar or equiaxed grains can be obtained under different solidification conditions. As the crystallography orientation of the substrate influences that of the cladding layers strongly. Multi-grain cladding layers can be obtained on the multi-grain substrate, while directional solidification columnar or even single crystal cladding layer can be achieved on the directional solidification or single crystal substrate.The mechanism of microstructure formation in the cladding layer was furtherly investigated according to the columnar/equiaxed transition profile. In addition,an ear-like single crystal component was manufactured using the DD3 single crystal as substrate. The yield strength at room temperature was examined on the heat-treated slice sample. The results indicate that the yield strength is about 97.9% of that of the powder metallurgical tensile sample while the plasticity overpasses 80% of the powder metallurgical tensile sample.

Effect of Intermediate Heat Treatment Temperature on Microstructure and Notch Sensitivity of Laser Solid Formed Inconel 718 Superalloy

Inconel 718 superalloys deposited by laser solid forming （LSF） were heat treated with solution treatment,intermediate heat treatment （IHT） and two-stage aging treatment in sequence （SITA heat treatment）.The effect of IHT temperature on microstructure,tensile property and notch sensitivity of LSFed Inconel 718 superalloy at 500 ℃ were investigated.As-deposited columnar grains have transformed to equiaxed grains and the grains were refined due to the recrystallization during the SITA heat treatment.It is found that the size and amount of δ phase dispersed at grain boundaries decreased with the increasing of IHT temperature,and δ phase disappeared when the IHT temperature reached 1 020 ℃.The ultimate tensile strength （UTS） and yield strength （YS） of smooth samples increased to a maximum when the IHT temperature reached 980 ℃ and then decreased slightly to a minimum when the IHT temperature was 1 000 ℃,and followed by slight increasing again till the IHT temperature reached 1 020 ℃,resulted from the competition of precipitation strengthening effect of γ″ and γ＇ phase and the grain boundary weakening effect caused by the gradual disappearance of δ phase with increasing the IHT temperature.The notch sensitivity factor （qe） decreased but still greater than 1 as the IHT temperature increased,which is attributed to the decrease of the size and amount of δ precipitation.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON MACRO AND MICRO-STRUCTURE OF METALLIC PARTS BUILT BY LOW-POWER LASER CLADDING

A low-power CO_2 laser is used to deposit Fe powder and mixture of Fe andcarbon powder on substrates respectively, and the macro and micro-structure of the formed samplesare investigated. It is demonstrated that most grains of these samples are equi-axed. This isderived from the high nucleation velocity in the shallow melt pool besides rapid solidification ofthe liquid-state alloy or metal. Bainitic structure, combination of pearlite and ferrite structureand ferrite structure are seen respectively in the samples involving various amounts of carbon owingto no martensitic transformation in these small samples.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION FOR LASER BENDING OF SHEET METAL

The new flexible forming technique of sheet metal laser bending process is numerically simulated by using finite element method of large elastic plastic deformation. The temperature fields and stress strain distribution in deformation area are calculated, forming process is described and relationship between bend angle and width of sheet is discussed. It is shown that the calculated values are in good accordance with the experiments.

Microstructure evolution of laser solid forming of Ti-Al-V ternary system alloys from blended elemental powders

Morphology evolution of prior β grains of laser solid forming （LSF） Ti-xAl-yV （x 11,y 20） alloys from blended elemental powders is investigated. The formation mechanism of grain morphology is revealed by incorporating columnar to equiaxed transition （CET） mechanism during solidification. The morphology of prior β grains of LSF Ti-6Al-yV changes from columnar to equiaxed grains with increasing element V content from 4 to 20 wt.-%. This agrees well with CET theoretical prediction. Likewise, the grain morphology of LSF Ti-xAl-2V from blended elemental powders changes from large columnar to small equiaxed with increasing Al content from 2 to 11 wt.-%. The macro-morphologies of LSF Ti-8Al-2V and Ti-11Al-2V from blended elemental powders do not agree with CET predictions. This is caused by the increased disturbance effects of mixing enthalpy with increasing Al content, generated in the alloying process of Ti, Al, and V in the molten pool.

Effect of dimensionless heat input during laser solid forming of high-strength steel

Laser solid forming(LSF)technology can be used to rapidly manufacture and repair high-strength steel parts with superior performance,but the value of the heat input during operation is difficult to quantify,which has a substantial impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the parts.A promising method to improve the forming efficiency and quality of LSFed parts is to accurately control the heat input and explore its relationship with the microstructure and mechanical properties.To remove the interference of other variables from the experiment,the dimensionless heat input Q;^(∗)was introduced.The Q^(∗)values were designed in advance to calculate the experimental parameters used to perform the LSF experiment.The microstructure was observed at different regions of the sample,and its mechanical properties were analyzed.From the results,the following conclusions were drawn.The Q;^(∗)value was directly related to the cooling rate and heat accumulation in the top structure,leading to the formation of different microstructures;it also modified the original structure at the bottom,affecting the subsequent thermal cycle and indirectly changing the tempered martensite morphology.The heat input also affected the mechanical properties of the sample.The hardness of the stable zone decreased with increasing Q;^(∗)value,and the lowest value was 190 HV.Similarly,the tensile strength and yield strength of the LSFed samples decreased considerably with increasing Q;^(∗)value,and the lowest values were 735 and 604 MPa,respectively.Only the elongation and reduction in the area increased after a slight decrease.The Q;^(∗)value had a significant effect on heat treatment.When Q;^(∗)=2.9,the increase in tensile strength and yield strength after heat treatment was the largest(29%and 44%,respectively).

Hot deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of the laser solid formed TC4 titanium alloy

Hot compressive experiments of the laser solid formed(LSFed)TC4 titanium alloy were conducted at a wide temperature range of 650-950℃and strain rate of 0.01-10 s^(-1).The Arrheniustype constitutive models of the LSFed TC4 alloy were established at the temperature range of 800-950℃and of 650-800℃,respectively.The average relative error between the predicted stresses and experimental values in those two temperature ranges are 10.4%and 8.3%,respectively,indicating that the prediction models constructed in this paper are in a good agreement with experimental data.Processing maps were established by the principle of dynamic materials modeling on the basis of the data achieved from the hot compression experiments.The processing parameters corresponding to the stable and unstable regions of material deformation can be determined from the processing maps.The microstructure evolution of the stable and unstable regions of the samples after tests were observed.Finally,the effect of hot compressive parameters on the microstructure were investigated to research the dynamic recrystallization and the texture of the deformed LSFed TC4 alloy.