Amirahmad Mohammadi

High-Speed Single Point Incremental Forming of an Automotive Aluminium Alloy

Incremental Sheet Forming processes have been characterized by their limited forming speed and accompanying lengthy production time. ISF has therefore been considered a process category suitable for small batch sizes or discrete part production only. The potential for greatly increasing the forming speed of incremental forming processes is studied here by means of axisymmetric incremental forming on a lathe. As an aluminium alloy commonly used in automotive applications, AA5182-O, is of interest for incremental forming at increased speed. In this paper the influence of an increasing feed rate on forming forces, temperature and formability is analyzed.

Enhanced Formability of Age-Hardenable Aluminium Alloys by Incremental Forming of Solution-Treated Blanks

The influence of thermal pre-treatment on the formability of a precipitation-hardening aluminium alloy AA-2024 has been studied for three different heat treatment conditions: annealed (O-temper), solution treated and quenched (W-temper) and solution heat treated, quenched and then cold worked (T-temper).The maximum draw angle has been determined and the geometrical accuracy of specific SPIF formed parts has been compared. It is found that the maximum forming angles of the blank formed in O-temper and W-temper conditions show a respective 41% and 32% increase to those of the T-temper condition (initial blank).The hardness of the material reduces significantly after annealing, while SPIF parts formed from W-temper blanks regain their initial hardness after natural aging.

In-Process Hardening in Laser Supported Incremental Sheet Metal Forming

The effect of localized laser hardening on the dimensional accuracy of incrementally formed steel sheets has been studied. By dynamically heating by means of laser beam scanning (500W Nd:YAG) the temperature of the sheet reaches the austenization temperature and by subsequent self-quenching a hard martensitic structure will form. Using FE modeling, a laser power setting of 202 W, scanning velocity of 600 mm/min and beam diameter of 6 mm were selected as optimum processing parameters for transformation hardening. Hardness tests were performed in order to investigate the hardness profile along the depth and width of the laser hardened zone. Experimental results reveal that generation of a selectively hardened martensitic band, formed by transformation hardening, can increase the accuracy of the incrementally formed part.

Formability Enhancement in Incremental Forming for an Automotive Aluminium Alloy Using Laser Assisted Incremental Forming

The aim of this study is to establish general guidelines for minimizing the number of tests required to determine optimum process parameters in terms of formability for laser assisted single point incremental forming (LASPIF). An automotive aluminium alloy (AA5182-O) is selected and the room temperature failure angle of this material is determined experimentally. The straining behaviour as well as sheet thinning of the test part (at its maximum forming angle) is studied using an experimentally validated finite element model. From the thinning rate of the sheet metal and the shape of the contact zone between tool and sheet it is concluded that continuous straining of the sheet on the wall region of the contact area is responsible for extra thinning and failure. Based on the size and position of the contact zone, different laser tool positioning strategies have been used to achieve the highest forming angle. It is concluded that due to an elongated shape of the contact zone in steep wall angle parts and considering a small deviation of the forming robot, the selection of a large spot diameter is necessary in terms of maximum obtainable wall angle. It has been observed that the maximum forming angle is still achievable using a large forward offset. It is concluded that the partial stress-relief annealing of the deformed geometry during the approach of the forming tool, is responsible for this formability enhancement.

Incremental forming of aluminium alloys in cryogenic environment

Incremental Sheet Forming processes suffer from stringent forming limits, restricting the range of producible geometries. Through in-process cooling of the sheet to cryogenic level, this paper explores the potential of altering material properties benefiting the formability and residual hardness of different aluminium alloys. Global cooling of aluminium sheets with liquid nitrogen and dry ice allows to reach temperatures of 78K and 193K respectively. Extended with experiments at room temperature (293K), these tests form a base for comparison of surface quality, formability and residual hardness. As an aluminium alloy commonly used for its high strength to weight ratio, but suffering from limited formability compared to draw-quality steels, AA5083-H111 is of interest for cryogenic treatment. AA1050-H24 is included in the test campaign as a base for commercially pure aluminium.

Complex deformation routes for direct recycling aluminium alloy scrap via industrial hot extrusion

This paper presents the final results of an industrial project, aiming for direct hot extrusion of wrought aluminium alloy scrap at an industrial scale. Two types of complex deformation/extrusion routes were tested for the production of the same profile, starting from AA6060 scrap in form of machining chips. More specifically scrap-based billets were extruded through: a 2-porthole and a 4-porthole die-set, modified for enhanced scrap consolidation and grain refinement. For comparison reasons, cast billets of the same alloy were extruded through the modified 2-porthole die set. The tensile testing results as well as microstructural investigations show that the 4-porthole extrusion route further improves scrap consolidation compared to the 2-porthole die output. The successful implementation of solid state recycling, directly at industrial level, indicates the technological readiness level of this research.This paper presents the final results of an industrial project, aiming for direct hot extrusion of wrought aluminium alloy scrap at an industrial scale. Two types of complex deformation/extrusion routes were tested for the production of the same profile, starting from AA6060 scrap in form of machining chips. More specifically scrap-based billets were extruded through: a 2-porthole and a 4-porthole die-set, modified for enhanced scrap consolidation and grain refinement. For comparison reasons, cast billets of the same alloy were extruded through the modified 2-porthole die set. The tensile testing results as well as microstructural investigations show that the 4-porthole extrusion route further improves scrap consolidation compared to the 2-porthole die output. The successful implementation of solid state recycling, directly at industrial level, indicates the technological readiness level of this research.

On the Geometric Accuracy in Shallow Sloped Parts in Single Point Incremental Forming

Incremental sheet forming is a versatile manufacturing technology for small series production. This technique is, however, still challenged by limited accuracy. In incremental forming, each shape comes with its unique complexity and typical geometrical deviations. In this work, the applicability of FE modeling for the prediction of geometric inaccuracies in a shallow wall angle cone has been studied. Typical geometric inaccuracies for shallow sloped parts have been investigated both experimentally and by means of simulation. The evolution of underforming of the cone base as well as overforming of the cone wall during SPIF forming of truncated cone have been analysed. Based on the evaluation of the contact zone between the tool and the sheet, it has been concluded that an extended deformation of the sheet outside the tool contact zone is responsible for the overforming of the wall.