Sequential multi-objective optimization of thin-walled aluminum alloy tube bending under various uncertainties

Combining the design of experiments(DOE)and three-dimensional finite element(3D-FE)method,a sequential multiobjectiveoptimization of larger diameter thin-walled(LDTW)Al-alloy tube bending under uncertainties was proposed andimplemented based on the deterministic design results.Via the fractional factorial design,the significant noise factors are obtained,viz,variations of tube properties,fluctuations of tube geometries and friction.Using the virtual Taguchi’s DOE of inner and outerarrays,considering three major defects,the robust optimization of LDTW Al-alloy tube bending is achieved and validated.For thebending tools,the robust design of mandrel diameter was conducted under the fluctuations of tube properties,friction and tubegeometry.For the processing parameters,considering the variations of friction,material properties and manufacture deviation ofmandrel,the robust design of mandrel extension length and boosting ratio is realized.

Effects of hydrogen on fatigue life of Ti-4Al-2V titanium alloy

Four hydrogen contents were employed to investigate the effects of hydrogen on fatigue life of Ti 4Al 2V titanium alloy by means of section varied samples. Results reveal that the fatigue life of the materials with (116～280)×10 -6 hydrogen is higher than that of natural hydrogen material provided that the fatigue load Δ σ is over 550 MPa. At higher Δ σ , the content of hydrogen has small effects on fatigue life within (116280)×10 -6 hydrogen. For material containing 280×10 -6 hydrogen, fatigue cracks tend to initiate at sample edges at higher load, in contrast, to initiate at sites of hydrides at lower load. The interstitial hydrogen atoms softening the persistent slip bands(PSB) and hydrides separating from the body become the cause of decrease in fatigue life. Hydrides resolved into the body is observed at lower Δ σ for material with 280×10 -6 hydrogen, which is the result of concentration of hydrogen atoms at crack tips and stress induced re precipitation of hydrides.

Advances and Trends on Tube Bending Forming Technologies

As one kind of key components with enormous quantities and diversities, the bent tube parts satisfy the increasing needs for lightweight and high-strength product from both materials and structure aspects. The bent tubes have been widely used in many high-end industries such as aviation, aerospace, shipbuilding, automobile, energy and health care. The tube bending has become one of the key manufacturing technologies for lightweight product forming. Via the analysis of bending characteristics and multiple defects, advances on exploring the common issues in tube bending are summarized regarding wrinkling instability at the intrados, wall thinning （cracking） at the extrados, springback phenomenon, cross-section deformation, forming limit and process/ tooling design/optimization. Some currently developed bending techniques are reviewed in terms of their advantages and limitations. Finally, in view of the urgent requirements of high-performance complex bent tube components with difficult-todeform and lightweight materials in aviation and aerospace fields, the development trends and corresponding challenges are presented for realizing the precise and high-efficiency tube bending deformation.

Springback prediction of thick-walled high-strength titanium tube bending

Significant springback occurs after tube rotary-draw-bending （RDB）, especially for a high-strength Ti-3A1-2.5V tube （HSTT） due to its high ratio of yield strength to Young＇s modulus. The combination scheme of explicit and implicit is preferred to predict the springback. This simulation strategy includes several numerical parameters, such as element type, number of elements through thickness （NEL）, element size, etc. However, the influences of these parameters on spring- back prediction accuracy are not fully understood. Thus, taking the geometrical specification 9.525 mm × 0.508 mm ofa HSTT as the objective, the effects of numerical parameters on prediction accuracy and computation efficiency of springback simulation of HSTT RDB are investigated. The simulated springback results are compared with experimental ones. The main results are： （1） solid and continuum-shell elements predict the experimental results well; （2） for C3DSR elements, NEL of at least 3 is required to obtain reliable results and a relative error of 29% can occur as NEL is varied in the range of 1-3; （3） specifying damping factor typically works well in Abaqus/Emplicit simulation of springback and the springback results are sensitive to the magnitude of damping factor. In addition, the explanations of the effect rules are given and a guideline is added.

Numerically controlled bending performance of medium strength TA18 titanium alloy tubes under different die sets

The rapid development of aviation and aerospace technologies has led to increased interest in the application of numerically controlled(NC) technology for bending light-weight titanium alloy tubes.In order to study and develop advanced NC bending technology,it is necessary to understand the bending performance of medium strength TA18(Ti-3Al-2.5V,ASTM Gr.9) titanium alloy tubes during NC bending under different die sets.This paper focuses on the bending performance of medium strength TA18 tubes under different NC bending die sets,including the variations in the stress,strain,wall thickness,cross sectional deformation,and defects.The results show that adding a wiper die to the base die set decreases the radial,hoop,and tangential compressive stress and the tangential compressive strain,and adding a mandrel to the base die set also decreases these stresses,but increases the radial and hoop tensile stress and decreases the hoop compressive strain obviously,and brings about a three-dimensional tensile stress concentration where the mandrel provides support.For the NC bending of medium strength TA18 tubes,the flattening of cross section is more sensitive index than the thinning of wall thickness.Introducing a mandrel can improve the flattening of cross section obviously but it has a little worse effect on the thinning of wall thickness,and adding a wiper die to the base die set can inhibit the occurrence of the inside bulge but worsen the flattening of the cross section remarkably.Considering the above effects of the mandrel and wiper die on bending performance,it is reasonable to apply the die set comprising a bending die,clamp die,and pressure die for tubes with a small diameter and the die set including an appropriate mandrel additionally for tubes with a larger diameter,in order to bend the medium strength TA18 tubes with high quality and at low cost.

Geometry-dependent springback behaviors of thin-walled tube upon cold bending

As one kind of key lightweight components with enormous quantities and diversities, the bent tubular parts have attracted in- creasing applications in aerospace, automobile, etc. Thus, how the inevitable springback behaves under different bending specifications should be fully addressed to efficiently achieve the precision forming of various bent tubes. Taking the medium strength thin-walled 6061-T4 Al-alloy tube as the objective, via the deformation theory of plasticity, explicit/implicit FE method and experimental approaches, we explored and clarified the nonlinear springback rules of the tubes and corresponding mechanisms in universal rotary draw bending regarding angular springback and radius growth by deliberately changing the tube diameter D and wall thickness t. The geometry dependent springback behaviors of thin-walled tube upon cold bending are thus revealed: 1) With the increasing of D, the tangent tensile strain increases and the proportional coefficient decreases, which causes the angular springback to decrease, while the radius springback increases due to the larger bending radius. 2) With the increasing of t, the tangent tensile strain decreases and the proportional coefficient increases, resulting in the increase of both angular springback and radius springback. 3) Under the same D/t, the angular springback varies little, while the radius springback increases with the larger diameter D. 4) The D/t can be used as a reasonable nondimensional index to evaluate the springback angle; as to the radius growth, the individual effects of the D and t should be considered. 5) The verification of the above results was conducted by experiments and analytical analysis.

Towards intelligent design optimization: Progress and challenge of design optimization theories and technologies for plastic forming

Plastic forming is one of enabling and fundamental technologies in advanced manufacturing chains. Design optimization is a critical way to improve the performance of the forming system, exploit the advantages of high productivity, high product quality, low production cost and short time to market and develop precise, accurate, green, and intelligent(smart) plastic forming technology. However, plastic forming is quite complicated, relating to multi-physics field coupling,multi-factor influence, multi-defect constraint, and triple nonlinear, etc., and the design optimization for plastic forming involves multi-objective, multi-parameter, multi-constraint, nonlinear,high-dimensionality, non-continuity, time-varying, and uncertainty, etc. Therefore, how to achieve accurate and efficient design optimization of products, equipment, tools/dies, and processing as well as materials characterization has always been the research frontier and focus in the field of engineering and manufacturing. In recent years, with the rapid development of computing science, data science and internet of things(Io T), the theories and technologies of design optimization have attracted more and more attention, and developed rapidly in forming process. Accordingly, this paper first introduced the framework of design optimization for plastic forming. Then, focusing on the key problems of design optimization, such as numerical model and optimization algorithm,this paper summarized the research progress on the development and application of the theories and technologies about design optimization in forming process, including deterministic and uncertain optimization. Moreover, the applicability of various modeling methods and optimization algorithms was elaborated in solving the design optimization problems of plastic forming. Finally, considering the development trends of forming technology, this paper discusses some challenges of design optimization that may need to be solved and faced in forming process.