Principal Face-based Recognition Approach for Machining Features of Aircraft Integral Panels

Feature recognition aims at extracting manufacturing features with geometrical information from solid model and is considered to be an efficient way of changing the interactive NC machining programming mode.Existing recognition methods have some disadvantages in practical applications.They can essentially handle prismatic components with regular shapes and are difficult to recognize the intersecting features and curved surfaces.Besides,the robustness of them is not strong enough.A new feature recognition approach is proposed based on the analysis of aircraft integral panels＇ geometry and machining characteristics.In this approach,the aircraft integral panel is divided into a number of local machining domains.The machining domains are extracted and recognized first by finding the principal face of machining domain and extracting the sides around the principal face.Then the machining domains are divided into various features in terms of the face type.The main sections of the proposed method are presented including the definition,classification and structure of machining domain,the relationship between machining domain and principal face loop,the rules of machining domains recognition,and the algorithm of machining feature recognition.In addition,a robotic feature recognition module is developed for aircraft integral panels and tested with several panels.Test results show that the strategy presented is robust and valid.Features extracted can be post processed and linked to various downstream applications.The approach is able to solve the difficulties in recognizing the aircraft integral panel＇s features and automatic obtaining the machining zone in NC programming,and can be used to further develop the automatic programming of NC machining.

Slicing Recognition of Aircraft Integral Panel Generalized Pocket

To automatically obtain a machining area in numerical control （NC） programming, a data model of generalized pocket is established by analyzing aircraft integral panel characteristics, and a feature recognition approach is proposed. First, by reference to the practical slice-machining process of an aircraft integral panel, both the part and the blank are sliced in the Z-axis direction; hence a feature profile is created according to the slicing planes and the contours are formed by the intersection of the slicing planes with the part and its blank. Second, the auxiliary features of the generalized pocket are also determined based on the face type and the position, to correct the profile of the pocket. Finally, the generalized pocket feature relationship tree is constructed by matching the vertical relationships among the features. Machining feature information produced by using this method can be directly used to calculate the cutter path. The validity and practicability of the method is verified by NC programming for aircraft panels.

Dependence on forming parameters of an integral panel during the electromagnetic incremental forming process

Nowadays, more and more attentions are paid to electromagnetic incremental forming（EMIF）, especially for a part with a large-scale size, e.g., an integral panel with stiffened ribs. In this work, the bending of a panel into a double-curvature profile via EMIF is carried out experimentally and evaluated by comparing the formed profile with the desired profile. During the process,discharges at four positions along different discharge paths are designed. The effects of forming parameters on the die-fittingness of the workpiece are discussed, for which two evaluation indices are used to judge forming results. The results show that a discharge voltage in an incremental mode is helpful to improve the fittingness and avoid the collision rebound against the die at the same time.Discharging at the diagonal positions with the ‘‘X＂ discharge path exhibits the minimal shape deviation and the best forming uniformity. On the contrary, discharging at the parallel positions with the ‘‘Z＂ discharge path obtains the worst forming quality. Overlap of the coil at different positions should be given during EMIF; however, a lower overlap rate of the coil helps improve the forming quality. The results obtained in this work are useful for forming integral panels with stiffened ribs via the EMIF process.

A progressive approach to predict shot peening process parameters for forming integral panel of Al7050-T7451

In this paper,a progressive approach to predict the multiple shot peening process parameters for complex integral panel is proposed.Firstly,the invariable parameters in the forming process including shot size,mass flow,peening distance and peening angle are determined according to the empirical and machine type.Then,the optimal value of air pressure for the whole shot peening is selected by the experimental data.Finally,the feeding speed for every shot peening path is predicted by regression equation.The integral panel part with thickness from 2 mm to 5 mm and curvature radius from 3200 mm to 16000 mm is taken as a research object,and four experiments are conducted.In order to design specimens for acquiring the forming data,one experiment is conducted to compare the curvature radius of the plate and stringer-structural specimens,which were peened along the middle of the two stringers.The most striking finding of this experiment is that the outer shape error range is below 3.9%,so the plate specimens can be used in predicting feeding speed of the integral panel.The second experiment is performed and results show that when the coverage reaches the limit of 80%,the minimum feeding speed is 50 mm/s.By this feeding speed,the forming curvature radius of the specimens with different thickness from the third experiment is measured and compared with the research object,and the optimal air pressure is 0.15 MPa.Then,the plate specimens with thickness from 2 mm to 5 mm are peened in the fourth experiment,and the measured curvature radius data are used to calculate the feeding speed of different shot peening path by regressive analysis method.The algorithm is validated by forming a test part and the average deviation is 0.496 mm.It is shown that the approach can realize the forming of the integral panel precisely.

Forming Path Optimization for Press Bending of Aluminum Alloy Aircraft Integral Panel

Because of the light weight,high stiffness and high structural efficiency,aluminium alloy integral panels are widely used on modern aircrafts.Press bend forming has many advantages,and it becomes a significant technique in aircraft manufacturing field.In order to design the press bend forming path for aircraft integral panels,we propose a novel optimization method which integrates the finite element method(FEM) equivalent model based on our previous study,the artificial neural network response surface,and the genetic algorithm. First,a multi-step press bend forming FEM equivalent model is established,with which the FEM experiments designed with Taguchi method are performed.Then,the backpropagation(BP) neural network response surface is developed with the sample data from the FEM experiments.Further more,genetic algorithm(GA) is applied with the neural network response surface as the objective function.Finally,experimental and simulation verifications are carried out on a single stiffener specimen.The forming error of the panel formed with the optimal path is only 5.37%and the calculating efficiency has been improved by 90.64%.Therefore,this novel optimization method is quite efficient and indispensable for the press bend forming path designing.

Design and performance testing of a novel building integrated photovoltaic thermal roofing panel

A novel building integrated photovoltaic thermal(BIPVT)roofing panel has been designed considering both solar energy harvesting efficiency and thermal performance.The thermal system reduces the operating temperature of the cells by means of a hydronic loop integrated into the backside of the panel,thus resulting in maintaining the efficiency of the solar panels at their feasible peak while also harvesting the generated heat for use in the building.The performance of the proposed system has been evaluated using physical experiments by conducting case studies to investigate the energy harvesting efficiency,thermal performance of the panel,and temperature differences of inlet/outlet working liquid with various liquid flow rates.The physical experiments have been simulated by coupling the finite element method(FEM)and finite volume method(FVM)for heat and mass transfer in the operation.Results show that the thermal system successfully reduced the surface temperature of the solar module from 88℃to as low as 55℃.Accordingly,the output power that has been decreased from 14.89 W to 10.69 W can be restored by 30.2%to achieve 13.92 W.On the other hand,the outlet water from this hydronic system reaches 45.4℃which can be used to partially heat domestic water use.Overall,this system provides a versatile framework for the design and optimization of the BIPVT systems.