Microstructure and properties of 35 kg large aluminum alloy flywheel housing components formed by squeeze casting with local pressure compensation

The squeeze casting method with local pressure compensation was proposed to form a flywheel housing component with a weight of 35 kg.The numerical simulation,microstructure observation and phase characterization were performed,and the influence of local pressure compensation on feeding of thick-wall position,microstructure and mechanical properties of the formed components were discussed.Results show that the molten metal keeps a good fluidity and the filling is complete during the filling process.Although the solidification at thick-wall positions of the mounting ports is slow,the local pressure compensation effectively realizes the local forced feeding,significantly eliminating the shrinkage cavity defects.In the microstructure of AlSi9Mg alloy,α-Al primarily consists of fragmented dendrites and rosette grains,while eutectic Si predominantly comprises needles and short rods.The impact of local pressure compensation on strength is relatively minimal,yet its influence on elongation is considerable.Following local pressure compensation,the average elongation at the compensated areas is 9.18%,which represents a 44.90%higher than that before compensation.The average tensile strength is 209.1 MPa,and the average yield strength is 100.6 MPa.The local pressure compensation can significantly reduce or even eliminate the internal defects in the 35 kg large-weight components formed by squeeze casting.

High-efficiency forming processes for complex thin-walled titanium alloys components: state-of-the-art and perspectives

Complex thin-walled titanium alloy components play a key role in the aircraft,aerospace and marine industries,offering the advantages of reduced weight and increased thermal resistance.The geometrical complexity,dimensional accuracy and in-service properties are essential to fulfill the high-performance standards required in new transportation systems,which brings new challenges to titanium alloy forming technologies.Traditional forming processes,such as superplastic forming or hot pressing,cannot meet all demands of modern applications due to their limited properties,low productivity and high cost.This has encouraged industry and research groups to develop novel high-efficiency forming processes.Hot gas pressure forming and hot stamping-quenching technologies have been developed for the manufacture of tubular and panel components,and are believed to be the cut-edge processes guaranteeing dimensional accuracy,microstructure and mechanical properties.This article intends to provide a critical review of high-efficiency titanium alloy forming processes,concentrating on latest investigations of controlling dimensional accuracy,microstructure and properties.The advantages and limitations of individual forming process are comprehensively analyzed,through which,future research trends of high-efficiency forming are identified including trends in process integration,processing window design,full cycle and multi-objective optimization.This review aims to provide a guide for researchers and process designers on the manufacture of thin-walled titanium alloy components whilst achieving high dimensional accuracy and satisfying performance properties with high efficiency and low cost.

A novel approach of jet polishing for interior surface of small-grooved components using three developed setups

It is a challenge to polish the interior surface of an additively manufactured component with complex structures and groove sizes less than 1 mm.Traditional polishing methods are disabled to polish the component,meanwhile keeping the structure intact.To overcome this challenge,small-grooved components made of aluminum alloy with sizes less than 1 mm were fabricated by a custom-made printer.A novel approach to multi-phase jet(MPJ)polishing is proposed,utilizing a self-developed polisher that incorporates solid,liquid,and gas phases.In contrast,abrasive air jet(AAJ)polishing is recommended,employing a customized polisher that combines solid and gas phases.After jet polishing,surface roughness(Sa)on the interior surface of grooves decreases from pristine 8.596μm to 0.701μm and 0.336μm via AAJ polishing and MPJ polishing,respectively,and Sa reduces 92%and 96%,correspondingly.Furthermore,a formula defining the relationship between linear energy density and unit defect volume has been developed.The optimized parameters in additive manufacturing are that linear energy density varies from 0.135 J mm^(-1)to 0.22 J mm^(-1).The unit area defect volume achieved via the optimized parameters decreases to 1/12 of that achieved via non-optimized ones.Computational fluid dynamics simulation results reveal that material is removed by shear stress,and the alumina abrasives experience multiple collisions with the defects on the heat pipe groove,resulting in uniform material removal.This is in good agreement with the experimental results.The novel proposed setups,approach,and findings provide new insights into manufacturing complex-structured components,polishing the small-grooved structure,and keeping it unbroken.

Significance-based optimization of processing parameters for thin-walled aluminum alloy tube NC bending with small bending radius

Thin-walled aluminum alloy tube numerical control （NC） bending with small bending radius is a complex process with multi-factor coupling effects and multi-die constraints. A significance-based optimization method of the parameters was proposed based on the finite element （FE） simulation, and the significance analysis of the processing parameters on the forming quality in terms of the maximum wall thinning ratio and the maximum cross section distortion degree was implemented using the fractional factorial design. The optimum value of the significant parameter, the clearance between the tube and the wiper die, was obtained, and the values of the other parameters, including the friction coefficients and the clearances between the tube and the dies, the mandrel extension length and the boost velocity were estimated. The results are applied to aluminum alloy tube NC bending d50 mm×1 mm×75 mm and d70 mm×1.5 mm×105 mm （initial tube outside diameter D0 × initial tube wall thickness t0 × bending radius R）, and qualified tubes are produced.

Effect of blank quenching on shear spinning forming precision of 2219 aluminum alloy complex thin-walled components

The quenching-spinning(Q-S)process,i.e.,shear spinning after blank quenching,has been increasingly utilized to form 2219 aluminum alloy complex thin-walled components.However,the changes in material property,shape and stress of the blanks after quenching will affect the spin-ning forming precision.In this study,the rules and mechanisms of these effects are investigated based on a combined finite element(FE)model including blank quenching and component spinning process.The results indicate that the increase of material strength and the existence of distortion of the quenched blank lead to a notable increase in the non-uniformity of the circumferential compres-sive stress in the spinning area and the increase of the flange swing height during spinning.These changes result in an increase in the wall thickness and component-mandrel gap of the components.The quenching residual stress has little effect on wall thickness and roundness but can noticeably reduce the component-mandrel gap.This is because that the existence of quenching residual stress of the blank can lead to the decrease of the maximum circumferential compressive stress of the workpiece in spinning and an obvious drop in the maximum compressive stress after reaching the stress peak.Quenching distortion is the main factor affecting the roundness.Moreover,the opti-mized installation way of the blank for spinning is obtained.

Die Casting Mold Design of the Thin-walled Aluminum Case by Computational Solidification Simulation

Recently, demand for the lightweight alloy in electric/electronic housings has been greatly increased. However, among the lightweight alloys, aluminum alloy thin-walled die casting is problematic because it is quite difficult to achieve sufficient fluidity and feedability to fill the thin cavity as the wall thickness becomes less than 1mm. Therefore, in this study, thin-walled die casting of aluminum （Al-Si-Cu alloy： ALDC 12） in size of notebook computer housing and thickness of 0.8 mm was investigated by solidification simulation （MAGMA soft） and actual casting experiment （Buhler Evolution B 53D）. Three different types of gating design, finger, tangential and split type with 6 vertical runners, were simulated and the results showed that sound thin-walled die casting was possible with tangential and split type gating design because those gates allowed aluminum melt to flow into the thin cavity uniformly and split type gating system was preferable gating design comparing to tangential type gating system at the point of view of soundness of casting and distortion generated after solidification. Also, the solidification simulation agreed well with the actual die-casting and the casting showed no casting defects and distortion.

Semi-solid moulding:Competition to cast and machine from forging in making automotive complex components

The very latest technique for impeller manufacture is called semi-solid moulding(SSM).Cummins Turbo Technologies Limited,together with Aluminum Complex Components Inc,developed SSM compressor wheels as a way of achieving cost and durability performance somewhere between that of cast and machined from solid(MFS) aluminium alloy wheels.Experimental results show SSM material has a superior microstructure and mechanical properties over cast and comparable to MFS materials.Component testing including durability testing,using accelerated speed cycle tests,proves SSM compressor wheels emerge as being significantly more durable than cast equivalents and approaching that of MFS impellers.Further challenges for semi-solid processing in manufacture of other complex components and other materials in automotive industry in terms of both cost and durability are also discussed.

Cross-sectional distortion behaviors of thin-walled rectangular tube in rotary-draw bending process

The cross-sectional distortion usually appears during rotary-draw bending process of thin-walled rectangular tube with small bending radius.To study the cross-sectional distortion of the tube,a three-dimensional finite-element model of the process was developed based on ABAQUS/Explicit code and its reliability was validated by experiment.Then,the cross-sectional distortion behaviors of the tube were investigated.The results show that a zone of larger circumferential stress appears on the tube when bending angle reaches 30°.And in the larger circumferential stress zone,the sagging phenomenon is produced obviously.The maximum cross-sectional distortion is located in the larger circumferential stress zone and the angle between the plane of maximum cross-sectional distortion and the bending reference plane is about 50°.The position of the maximum cross-sectional distortion keeps almost unchanged with the variation of the clearances between dies and tube.

Experimental and numerical assessment of energy absorption capacity of thin-walled Al 5083 tube produced by PTCAP process

The energy absorption capacity of the Al5083 thin-walled tube produced by parallel tubular angular pressing(PTCAP) process was evaluated. Also, microstructure, mechanical properties, and anisotropy coefficients were studied in the peripheral and axial directions. Results showed that values of energy absorption decreased with processing pass increasing and the values for the unprocessed, first and second passes were obtained to be 167, 161.4 and 160.7 J, respectively. The differences between the simulation results for the energy absorption values and their experimental values for the unprocessed, the first and the second PTCAP passes samples are about 5%, 10%, and 13%, respectively. The energy absorption capacity was related to the anisotropy coefficient and microstructure. The results demonstrated that grain refinement occurred and ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and microhardness after the first and second PTCAP passes were enhanced, while the increase rate in the first pass was much severer. Also, by applying PTCAP, the deformation modes were altered, such that the deformation mode of the annealed tube was quite symmetrical and circular while for the first and second passes there have been triple and double lobes diamond. The results of the numerical simulation for the deformation mode of the annealed and PTCAPed tubes were consistent with the experimental results. The deformation mode of tubes is dependent on their mechanical properties and variation of the mechanical properties during PTCAP process.

Machining Deformation Prediction of Thin-Walled Part Based on Finite Element Analysis

For the problems of machining distortion and the low accepted product during milling process of aluminum alloy thin-walled part,this paper starts from the analysis of initial stress state in material preparation process,the change process of residual stress within aluminum alloy pre-stretching plate is researched,and the distribution law of residual stress is indirectly obtained by delamination measurement methods,so the effect of internal residual stress on machining distortion is considered before finite element simulation. Considering the coupling effects of residual stress,dynamic milling force and clamping force on machining distortion,a threedimensional dynamic finite element simulation model is established,and the whole cutting process is simulated from the blank material to finished product,a novel prediction method is proposed,which can availably predict the machining distortion accurately. The machining distortion state of the thin-walled part is achieved at different processing steps,the machining distortion of the thin-walled part is detected with three coordinate measuring machine tools,show that the simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data.

Numerical simulation study on monoblock casting process of ultra-slender structural components and experimental validation

Substrate, a typical ultra-slender aluminum alloy structural components with a large aspect ratio and complex internal structure, was traditionally manufactured by re-assembly and sub-welding. In order to realize the monoblock casting of the substrate, the Pro/E software was utilized to carry out three-dimensional(3D) modeling of the substrate casting, and the filling and solidification processes were calculated, as well as the location and types of casting defects were predicted by the casting simulation software Anycasting. Results of the filling process simulation show that the metal liquid is distributed into each gap runner evenly and smoothly. There is no serious vortex phenomenon in the mold cavity, and the trajectory of the virtual particles is clear. Results of the solidification process simulation show that shrinkage cavities mainly appear at the junction of gap runners and the rail surface of the substrate. The average deformation is 0.6 mm in X direction, 3.8 mm in Y direction, and 8.2 mm in Z direction. Based on the simulation results, the casting process of the substrate was optimized, and qualified castings were successfully produced, which will provide a reference for the casting process design of other ultraslender aluminum alloy structural components.

Residual Stress Relaxation of Thin‑walled Long Stringer Made of Aluminum Alloy 7050‑T7451 under Transportation Vibration

Thin-walled long stringer made of aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 is prone to deformation during transportation,so a research of residual stress relaxation was launched in this paper.The transport resonance stress of long stringer was analyzed based on the power spectral density of road transport acceleration.The residual stress relaxation experiment of aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 under different equivalent stress levels was designed and carried out.According to the amount of residual stress relaxation in the experiment,an analytical model was established with the equivalent stress level coefficient.The deflection range of long stringer was evaluated under different damping ratios.The results show that when the equivalent stress exceeds 0.8σ0.2,the residual stress relaxation of the thin-walled samples occurs.The residual stress relaxation increases linearly with the equivalent stress,which is logarithmically related to the loading cycle.The deformation caused by residual stress relaxation of the long stringer is proportional to the square of the length and the bending moment caused by stress rebalance,and inversely proportional to the moment of inertia of the structure.As the damping ratio decreases from 0.03 to 0.01,the total deflection of the long stringer increases from 0 to above 1.55 mm.

Effect of the target positions on the rapid identification of aluminum alloys by using filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy combined with machine learning

Filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy(FIBS)combined with machine learning algorithms was used to identify five aluminum alloys.To study the effect of the distance between focusing lens and target surface on the identification accuracy of aluminum alloys,principal component analysis(PCA)combined with support vector machine(SVM)and Knearest neighbor(KNN)was used.The intensity and intensity ratio of fifteen lines of six elements(Fe,Si,Mg,Cu,Zn,and Mn)in the FIBS spectrum were selected.The distances between the focusing lens and the target surface in the pre-filament,filament,and post-filament were 958 mm,976 mm,and 1000 mm,respectively.The source data set was fifteen spectral line intensity ratios,and the cumulative interpretation rates of PC1,PC2,and PC3 were 97.22%,98.17%,and 95.31%,respectively.The first three PCs obtained by PCA were the input variables of SVM and KNN.The identification accuracy of the different positions of focusing lens and target surface was obtained,and the identification accuracy of SVM and KNN in the filament was 100%and 90%,respectively.The source data set of the filament was obtained by PCA for the first three PCs,which were randomly selected as the training set and test set of SVM and KNN in 3:2.The identification accuracy of SVM and KNN was 97.5%and 92.5%,respectively.The research results can provide a reference for the identification of aluminum alloys by FIBS.

6082-T6铝合金构件及其超大跨空间结构的受力性能与设计方法

针对6082-T6铝合金,从材料力学性能、轴压与偏压构件稳定承载力、受弯构件受力性能方面进行了系统试验和数值仿真研究;建立了国产铝合金构件试验数据库,评估了中、欧、美规范及DSM、CSM共5种设计方法的可靠度水平;对6082-T6铝合金圆管及泡沫铝填充复合管开展侧向冲击试验与数值仿真研究,提出了构件动态响应计算方法,并建立了冲击下构件变形的预测方法;针对超大跨度铝合金巨型网格结构开展了探索性研究,提出了适用于超大跨度结构的新型节点形式及稳定受力性能分析。研究成果将对6082-T6铝合金构件及结构在工程中的推广应用、提升结构的承载与抗冲击防御能力提供依据与技术支撑。

复杂曲率铝合金薄壁构件气胀成形技术研究

为满足复杂曲率轻量化薄壁构件快速高质量成形的需求,对5754铝合金复杂构件的气胀成形性能进行了试验与仿真研究。通过单一变量法确定了型腔气压和压边力的最佳工艺参数。结合数值模拟和成形试验,分析研究了型腔气压和压边力对构件成形性能的影响规律及成形机理。结果表明,最佳的成形气压和压边力分别为1.2 MPa和4.6 MPa。当气压小于1 MPa时,最大成形深度不断增加,最大应力位于主特征中心,壁厚分布由中心向两侧递增;当气压超过1 MPa后,最大成形深度保持不变,最大应力位于型腔中心两侧,壁厚分布由中心向两侧先减后增。当压边力小于4.3 MPa时会导致构件边缘起皱;增大压边力可有效抑制起皱,但压边力超过4.9 MPa时会增加构件局部破裂的风险。因此,采用上述最佳工艺参数能够成形质量良好的复杂曲率铝合金薄壁构件。

铸造耐热铝合金的析出相及其稳定化策略研究进展

大动力/大功率器件对耐热铝合金的需求不断增大,铸造耐热铝合金大尺寸产品制备工艺成熟,因而其应用广泛。本文综述了铸造耐热铝合金的析出相与微观组织稳定化的研究现状,讨论了耐热铝合金的主要特征,总结了铸造耐热铝合金高温性能的最新研究成果,着重从耐热相的种类、形貌、粗化率方面进行评述,展望了铸造耐热铝合金的发展趋势。

花篮悬挑脚手架在铝合金模板装配式建筑中的应用研究

为进一步规范花篮悬挑脚手架在建设过程中方案设计的合理性、现场施工的安全性,通过深圳职业技术学院华侨城校区整体改造工程项目宿舍综合楼的工程实例,分析、解决了花篮悬挑脚手架在设计及实施过程中遇到的问题,总结出新型花篮悬挑脚手架的预埋件、悬挑工字钢、脚手架体、斜拉杆、新型连墙件的设计构造、施工要点和纠偏方案。新型花篮悬挑脚手架经济效益明显,值得在铝合金模板装配式建筑工程中推广。

浅谈铝合金结构件焊接变形的控制

铝合金由于热膨胀系数较大,导致焊接变形严重。因此,为了减少焊接变形,研究对6061-T6铝合金的焊接变形情况进行了分析,并进一步研究了施加控制措施后的铝合金薄板变形情况。实验结果显示,进行电子束叠焊时,铝合金薄板中心区域的变形量最大,且实测变形量始终小于仿真变形量。这是因为实验时对薄板使用了夹具夹持,而在施加反变形或刚性约束后,薄板的变形量明显较少,且与原变形方向相反。上述结果表明,通过反变形法或刚性约束法能有效减少铝合金的焊接变形量,且刚性约束法的控制效果更好。

Forming limits under multi-index constraints in NC bending of aluminum alloy thin-walled tubes with large diameters

With increasing diameters of aluminum alloy thin-walled tubes (AATTs), the tube forming limits, i.e. the minimum bending factors, and their predictions under multi-index constraints including wrinkling, thinning and flattening have been being a key problem to be urgently solved for improving tube forming potential in numerical control (NC) bending processes of AATTs with large diameters. Thus in this paper, a search algorithm of the forming limits is put forward based on a 3D elastic-plastic finite element (FE) model and a wrinkling energy prediction model for the bending processes under axial compression loading (ACL) or not. This algorithm enables to be considered the effects of process parameter combinations including die, friction parameters on the multi-indices. Based on this algorithm, the forming limits of the different size tubes are obtained, and the roles of the process parameter combinations in enabling the limit bending processes are also revealed. The followings are found: the first, within the appropriate ranges of friction and clearances between the different dies and the tubes enabling the bending processes with smaller bending factors, the ACL enables the tube limit bending processes after a decrease of the mandrel ball thickness and diameters; then, without considering the effects of the tube geometry sizes on the tube constitutive equations, the forming limits will be decided by the limit thinning values for the tubes with diameters smaller than 80 mm, while the wrinkling for the tubes with diameters no less than 80 mm. The forming limits obtained from this algorithm are smaller than the analytical results, and reduced by 57.39%; the last, the roles of the process parameter combinations in enabling the limit bending processes are verified by experimental results.

Effect of depressurizing speed on mold filling behavior and entrainment of oxide film in vacuum suction casting of A356 alloy

The effect of depressurizing speed on mold filling behavior and entrainment of oxide film of A356 alloy was studied. Themold filling behavior and velocity fields were recorded by water simulation with particle image velocimetry. The results show thatthe gate velocity first increased dramatically, then changed with the depressurizing speed: the gate velocity increased slowly atrelatively high depressurizing speed; at reasonable depressurizing speed, the gate velocity kept unchanged; while at lowerdepressurizing speed, the gate velocity decreased firstly and then kept unchanged. High gate velocity results in melt falling backunder gravity at higher speed. The falling velocity is the main factor of oxide film entrainment in vacuum suction casting. The designcriterion of depressurizing rate was deduced, and the A356 alloy castings were poured to test the formula. The four-point bend testand Weibull probability plots were applied to assessing the fracture mechanisms of the as-cast A356 alloy. The results illuminate amethod on designing suitable depressurizing speed for mold filling in vacuum suction casting.