Optimization of Fixture Number in Large Thin-Walled Parts Assembly Based on IPSO

There are lots of researches on fixture layout optimization for large thin-walled parts.Current researches focus on the positioning problem,i.e.,optimizing the positions of a constant number of fixtures.However,how to determine the number of fixtures is ignored.In most cases,the number of fixtures located on large thin-walled parts is determined based on engineering experience,which leads to huge fixture number and extra waste.Therefore,this paper constructs an optimization model to minimize the number of fixtures.The constraints are set in the optimization model to ensure that the part deformation is within the surface profile tolerance.In addition,the assembly gap between two parts is also controlled.To conduct the optimization,this paper develops an improved particle swarm optimization(IPSO)algorithm by integrating the shrinkage factor and adaptive inertia weight.In the algorithm,particles are encoded according to the fixture position.Each dimension of the particle is assigned to a sub-region by constraining the optional position range of each fixture to improve the optimization efficiency.Finally,a case study on ship curved panel assembly is provided to prove that our method can optimize the number of fixtures while meeting the assembly quality requirements.This research proposes a method to optimize the number of fixtures,which can reduce the number of fixtures and achieve deformation control at the same time.

Development of Fixture Layout Optimization for Thin-Walled Parts:A Review

An increasing number of researchers have researched fixture layout optimization for thin-walled part assembly during the past decades.However,few papers systematically review these researches.By analyzing existing literature,this paper summarizes the process of fixture layout optimization and the methods applied.The process of optimization is made up of optimization objective setting,assembly variation/deformation modeling,and fixture layout optimization.This paper makes a review of the fixture layout for thin-walled parts according to these three steps.First,two different kinds of optimization objectives are introduced.Researchers usually consider in-plane variations or out-of-plane deformations when designing objectives.Then,modeling methods for assembly variation and deformation are divided into two categories:Mechanism-based and data-based methods.Several common methods are discussed respectively.After that,optimization algorithms are reviewed systematically.There are two kinds of optimization algorithms:Traditional nonlinear programming and heuristic algorithms.Finally,discussions on the current situation are provided.The research direction of fixture layout optimization in the future is discussed from three aspects:Objective setting,improving modeling accuracy and optimization algorithms.Also,a new research point for fixture layout optimization is discussed.This paper systematically reviews the research on fixture layout optimization for thin-walled parts,and provides a reference for future research in this field.

Optimization of material removal strategy in milling of thin-walled parts

The optimal material removal strategy can improve a geometric accuracy and surface quality of thin-walled parts such as turbine blades and blisks in high-speed ball end milling.The dominant conception in the material removal represents the persistence of the workpiece cutting stiffness in operation to advance the machining accuracy and machining efficiency.On the basis of theoretical models of cutting stiffness and deformation,finite element method (FEM) is applied to calculate the virtual displacements of the thin-walled part under given virtual loads at the nodes of the discrete surface.With the reference of deformation distribution of the thin-walled part,the milling material removal strategy is optimized to make the best of bracing ability of still uncut material.This material removal method is summarized as the lower stiffness region removed firstly and the higher stiffness region removed next.Analytical and experimental results show the availability,which has been verified by the blade machining test in this work,for thin-walled parts to reduce cutting deformation and meliorate machining quality.

Initial residual stress experiment and simulation of thin-walled parts for layer removal method

Thin-walled parts have low stiffness characteristic. Initial residual stress of thin-walled blanks is an important influence factor on machining stability. The present work is to verify the feasibility of an initial residual stress measurement of layer removal method. According to initial residual stress experiment for casting ZL205 A aluminum alloy tapered thin-walled blank by a common method,namely hole-drilling method,three finite element models with initial residual stress are established to simulate the layer removal method in ABAQUS and ANSYS software. By analyzing the results of simulation and experiments,the cutting residual stress inlayer removal process has a significant effect on measurement results. Reducing cutting residual stress is helpful to improve accuracy of layer removal method.

Mapping relationship analysis of welding assembly properties for thin-walled parts with finite element and machine learning algorithm

The finite element(FE)-based simulation of welding characteristics was carried out to explore the relationship among welding assembly properties for the parallel T-shaped thin-walled parts of an antenna structure.The effects of welding direction,clamping,fixture release time,fixed constraints,and welding sequences on these properties were analyzed,and the mapping relationship among welding characteristics was thoroughly examined.Different machine learning algorithms,including the generalized regression neural network(GRNN),wavelet neural network(WNN),and fuzzy neural network(FNN),are used to predict the multiple welding properties of thin-walled parts to mirror their variation trend and verify the correctness of the mapping relationship.Compared with those from GRNN and WNN,the maximum mean relative errors for the predicted values of deformation,temperature,and residual stress with FNN were less than 4.8%,1.4%,and 4.4%,respectively.These results indicate that FNN generated the best predicted welding characteristics.Analysis under various welding conditions also shows a mapping relationship among welding deformation,temperature,and residual stress over a period of time.This finding further provides a paramount basis for the control of welding assembly errors of an antenna structure in the future.

A model of deformation of thin-wall surface parts during milling machining process

A three-dimensional finite element model was established for the milling of thin-walled parts. The physical model of the milling of the part was established using the AdvantEdge FEM software as the platform. The aluminum alloy impeller was designated as the object to be processed and the boundary conditions which met the actual machining were set. Through the solution, the physical quantities such as the three-way cutting force, the tool temperature, and the tool stress were obtained, and the calculation of the elastic deformation of the thin-walled blade of the free-form surface at the contact points between the tool and the workpiece was realized. The elastic deformation law of the thin-walled blade was then predicted. The results show that the maximum deviation between the predicted value and the actual measured machining value of the elastic deformation was 26.055 μm; the minimum deviation was 2.011 μm, with the average deviation being 10.154 μm. This shows that the prediction is in close agreement with the actual result.

Numerical simulation analysis for deformation deviation and experimental verification for an antenna thin-wall parts considering riveting assembly with finite element method

In the process of thin-wall parts assembly for an antenna,the parts assembly deformation deviation is occurring due to the riveting assembly.In view of the riveting assembly deformation problems,it can be analyzed through transient and static simulation.In this work,the theoretical deformation model for riveting assembly is established with round head rivet.The simulation analysis for riveting deformation is carried out with the riveting assembly piece including four rivets,which comparing with the measuring points experiment results of riveting test piece through dealing with the experimental data using the point coordinate transform method and the space line fitting method.Simultaneously,the deformation deviation of the overall thin-wall parts assembly structure is analyzed through finite element simulation;and its results are verified by the measuring experiment for riveting assembly with the deformation deviation of some key points on the thin-wall parts.Through the comparison analysis,it is shown that the simulation results agree well with the experimental results,which proves the correctness and effectiveness of the theoretical analysis,simulation results and the given experiment data processing method.Through the study on the riveting assembly for thin-wall parts,it will provide a theoretical foundation for improving thin-wall parts assembly quality of large antenna in future.

Welding thermal characteristics analysis with numerical simulation for thin-wall parts assembly under different conditions

In order to analyze the welding thermal characteristics problem,the multiscale finite element(FE)model of T-shape thin-wall assembly structure for different thicknesses and the heat source model are established to emphatically study their welding temperature distributions under different conditions.Simultaneously,different welding technology parameters and welding directions are taken into account,and the fillet weld for different welding parameters is employed on the thin-wall parts.Through comparison analysis,the results show that different welding directions,welding thicknesses and welding heat source parameters have a certain impact on the temperature distribution.Meanwhile,for the thin-wall assembly structure of the same thickness,when the heat source is moving,the greater the moving speed,the smaller the heating area,and the highest temperature will decrease.Therefore,the welding temperature field distribution can be altered by adjusting welding parameters,heat source parameters,welding thickness and welding direction,which is conducive to reducing welding deformation and choosing an appropriate and optimal welding thickness of thin-wall parts and relative welding process parameters,thus improving thin-wall welding structure assembly precision in the actual large-size welding structure assembly process in future.

Deformation Analysis and Fixture Design of Thin-walled Cylinder in Drilling Process Based on TRIZ Theory

Thin-walled cylindrical workpiece is easy to deform during machining and clamping processes due to the insufficient rigidi.Moreover,it’s also difficult to ensure the perpendicularity of flange holes during drilling process.In this paper,the element birth and death technique is used to obtain the axial deformation of the hole through finite element simulation.The measured value of the perpendicularity of the hole was compared with the simulated value to verify then the rationality of the simulation model.To reduce the perpendicularity error of the hole in the drilling process,the theory of inventive principle solution(TRIZ)was used to analyze the drilling process of thin-walled cylinder,and the corresponding fixture was developed to adjust the supporting surface height adaptively.Three different fixture supporting layout schemes were used for numerical simulation of drilling process,and the maximum,average and standard deviation of the axial deformation of the flange holes and their maximum hole perpendicularity errors were comparatively analyzed,and the optimal arrangement was optimized.The results show that the proposed deformation control strategy can effectively improve the drilling deformation of thin-walled cylindrical workpiece,thereby significantly improving the machining quality of the parts.

Relative Varying Dynamics Based Whole Cutting Process Optimization for Thin‑walled Parts

Thin-walled parts are typically difficult-to-cut components due to the complex dynamics in cutting process.The dynamics is variant for part during machining,but invariant for machine tool.The variation of the relative dynamics results in the difference of cutting stage division and cutting parameter selection.This paper develops a novel method for whole cutting process optimization based on the relative varying dynamic characteristic of machining system.A new strategy to distinguish cutting stages depending on the dominated dynamics during machining process is proposed,and a thickness-dependent model to predict the dynamics of part is developed.Optimal cutting parameters change with stages,which can be divided by the critical thickness of part.Based on the dynamics comparison between machine tool and thickness-varying part,the critical thicknesses are predicted by an iterative algorithm.The proposed method is validated by the machining of three benchmarks.Good agreements have been obtained between prediction and experimental results in terms of stages identification,meanwhile,the optimized parameters perform well during the whole cutting process.

Elliptical vibration cutting of large-size thin-walled curved surface parts of pure iron by using diamond tool with active cutting edge shift

Large-size thin-walled curved surface parts of pure iron are crucial in aerospace,national defense,energy and precision physical experiments.However,the high machining accuracy and surface quality are difficult to achieve due to the serious tool wear and deformation when machining the parts with conventional cutting tools.In this paper,an elliptical vibration cutting(EVC)with active cutting edge shift(ACES)based on a long arbor vibration device is proposed for ultraprecision machining the pure iron parts by using diamond tool.Compared with cutting at a fixed cutting edge,the influence of ACES on the EVC was analyzed.Experiments in EVC of pure iron with ACES were conducted.The evolutions of the surface roughness,surface topography,and chip morphology with tool wear in EVC with ACES are revealed.The reasonable parameters of ultraprecision machining the pure iron parts by EVC with ACES were determined.It shows that the ACES has a slight influence on the machined surface roughness and surface topography.The diamond tool life can be significantly prolonged in EVC of pure iron with ACES than that with a fixed cutting edge,so that high profile accuracy and surface quality could be obtained even at higher nominal cutting speed.A typical thin-walled curved surface pure iron part with diameter φ240 mm,height 122 mm,and wall thickness 2 mm was fabricated by the presented method,and its profile error and surface roughness achieved PV 2.2μm and Ra less than 50 nm,respectively.

多道次冲压与电磁渐进成形复合工艺下薄壁椭球件塑性变形机制

为解决大尺寸变曲率薄壁椭球件常规成形易失稳起皱、尺寸超差和装备复杂等问题,提出了多道次冲压与采用环形线圈渐进成形制造薄壁椭球件的方法。采用ANSYS和ABAQUS软件联合分析了准静态冲压和线圈多次放电对零件不同区域应力应变状态和成形质量的影响。结果表明:环形线圈正对的板料区域在电磁力作用下发生高度变形,材料周向压应力出现高频振动并大幅度衰减,有效抑制了起皱产生。传统直接冲压高度为60 mm时,板料起皱位移可达7 mm。采用多道次冲压与电磁成形复合的方法,零件起皱被完全抑制。采用有限元模拟得到的最佳工艺参数,建立了实验工装并获得表面光滑的椭球形零件。

Marginal-restraint mandrel-free spinning process for thin-walled ellipsoidal heads

Metal sheet spinning is an advanced near-net forming technology for the manufacture of thin-walled ellipsoidal heads.The exact control of dimensional accuracy,however,is a considerable problem for spinning thinwalled parts with large diameter-to-thickness ratios.In this work,a marginal restraint mandrel-free spinning process with two passes is proposed for the fabrication of thinwalled ellipsoidal heads without wrinkling.A finite element model is established and verified to study the influences of spinning parameters on the dimensional precision of thin-walled ellipsoidal heads.It is found that the spinning parameters considerably influence the deviations of wall thickness and contour characteristics.A small forming angle or small roller fillet radius during the first pass spining,as well as the small angle between passes or high feed ratio during the second pass spinning,can improve the wall thickness precision.Meanwhile,as the forming angle or feed ratio is increased during the first pass spinning,the contour precision initially increases and then decreases.During the second pass spinning,the contour precision can be improved at a small angle between passes,whereas it deteriorates at a larger roller installation angle.The optimized spinning parameters are obtained and verified by experiments.

基于镜像铣削的大尺寸薄壁曲面零件加工试验研究

某大尺寸椭球面薄壁零件需进行局部下陷减薄及轮廓加工,拟采用镜像铣削代替原化学铣削工艺。由于其毛坯成型精度差、弱刚度、薄壁、复杂型面的特点,采用镜像铣削加工方案,为满足加工需求,需制定一套适用的加工参数选用方案。文中进行了刀具、刀轨、切削三要素等方面的试验研究,得到了一套优水平组合方案,为后续薄壁件镜像铣削替代化学铣削的应用储备了技术与经验。

复杂椭球部件的数控车削加工工艺研究

文章结合某个具体的复杂椭球部件,在分析其各零件工艺特点和加工难点的基础上,针对其加工工艺性差、装夹难、强度弱、刚性差以及切削加工过程中易变形和发生切削振动等情况,通过制定合理的数控车削加工工艺方案,选择合适的数控车床、刀具类型和规格以及切削用量参数,采用正确的工件装夹方式,精确高效地完成了各零件的加工,并实现了预期的装配功能。该数控车削加工工艺方案也为解决类似零部件的加工提供了思路。

压边力和液压力对椭球形件充液拉深成形的影响

起皱和破裂是板材零件的两大缺陷。充液拉深成形是一种新的塑性加工工艺,可以改善曲面形零件的成形质量。压边力和液压力是该工艺的关键参数。利用Dynaform有限元分析软件研究了旋转椭球形件在恒压边力变液压力、变压边力变液压力情况下的充液拉深成形情况。模拟结果表明,压边力和液压力的加载路径对于零件的成形有明显的影响,采用变压边力变液压力技术可以得到不破裂、不起皱、减薄率小、厚度均匀的零件,在很大程度上改善了零件的成形效果。

Effects of spinning parameters on microstructures of ellipsoidal heads during marginal-restraint mandrel-free spinning

Marginal-restraint mandrel-free spinning is an advanced technology for manufacturing ellipsoidal heads with large diameter-thickness ratios.The effects of spinning parameters on the forming accuracy of ellipsoidal heads have been studied,and optimized spinning parameters have been obtained.The microstructure evolution of a workpiece is usually very complicated in the spinning process.In this work,the influence of spinning parameters on the microstructures of two-pass spun ellipsoidal heads is studied.It is found that the forming angle and feed rate of the first pass,angle between passes,and feed rate of the second pass significantly affect the microstructures.Meanwhile,the evolution rule of the microstructures near the inner and outer surfaces of the spun parts is almost consistent.A large forming angle,large angle between passes,or large feed rate of the second pass are beneficial to obtain uniform microstructures.A small or large feed rate of the first pass reduces the microstructure uniformity.To improve the microstructure uniformity between the inner and outer surfaces,the optimized spinning parameters are determined.

板材旋转方式下椭球件渐进成形

在板材随夹具连续旋转的渐进成形中,采用空间直角坐标难以成形非圆截面类零件。在分析板材旋转和成形头运动成形原理的基础上,研究了板材旋转式非圆截面类零件的渐进成形法。建立了椭球面件任一等高层上成形头沿平行于板材面方向运动坐标与板材旋转角间的数学关系,确定了成形头沿垂直于板材面方向完全按层进给量进行等高逐层进给,进而设计并生成了基于板材旋转与成形头运动协调的椭球件成形轨迹。对实验椭球件的几何轮廓进行了分析,发现因成形头下压致使开口截面周边存在最大几何偏差达7.06 mm的明显弯曲。通过增加延伸环,得到了几何偏差不超过1.61 mm的椭球零件。实验结果表明,带延伸环支撑的板材旋转式渐进成形方法可成形具有较高几何精度的非圆截面类零件。