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Metals
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Forming of Aluminium Alloys
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Forming of Aluminium Alloys

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metal Casting, Forming and Heat Treatment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 17582

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Torgeir Welo

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Dr. Jun Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NTNU Aluminium Product Innovation Center (NAPIC), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Verkstedteknisk, P308 Gløshaugen, Trondheim, Norway
Interests: metal forming; tube/profile bending; lightweight metals; solid mechanics; modeling and simulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aluminium alloys are being increasingly used in various industries, including automobile, aerospace, building, etc., due to their favorable properties such as strength-to-weight ratio and recyclability offered at a reasonably low cost. Especially, today’s steadily stronger environmental legislations and awareness in the consumer society have resulted in high demand for lighter and more sustainable product solutions in many application areas.

Forming is one of the most important and commonly-used manufacturing methods for aluminium-based products. Forming comprises various types of processes including forging, extrusion, rolling, bending, hydroforming, incremental forming, electrical/magmatic-assisted forming, etc., all used for conversion of material into configurations of different complexity. Although many forming processes are well-established in the manufacturing industry, the need for new knowledge increases with the growing demand for products with enhanced geometrical complexity, integrated functionality, and performance. To compete in a steadily more competitive market place, therefore, traditional processes must be improved and new processes must be designed, established and optimized with a vision of higher levels of accuracy, adaptivity and flexibility in mind. The common denominator of succeed in this endeavor is to establish new, in-depth understanding of material behavior and governing mechanisms in material forming, thus leveraging knowledge-based strategies for increased value creation and innovation in metal forming through—among others—close control of defects, product properties and dimensional accuracy.

In this Special Issue, entitled “Forming of Aluminium Alloys”, we aim to seek for papers to advance the scientific theories and technologies in this field, thus addressing the current and future challenges and opportunities. Both review and original research manuscripts are welcome. Potential contributions may include, but are but not limited to, the following aspects: innovative processes, essential mechanics of processes, analytical and numerical modeling, multi-scale characterization of material and forming behavior, assessment of properties and performance of formed products, etc.

Prof. Dr. Torgeir Welo
Dr. Jun Ma
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aluminium alloys
  • forming process
  • mechanics
  • plasticity
  • modeling and simulation
  • material property
  • prediction and control
  • dimensional accuracy
  • defects
  • product performance

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 6853 KiB  
Article
Deformation Characteristics in a Stretch-Based Dimensional Correction Method for Open, Thin-Walled Extrusions
by Xianyan Zhou, Torgeir Welo, Jun Ma and Sigmund A. Tronvoll
Metals 2021, 11(11), 1786; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11111786 - 05 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1486
Abstract
Dimensional accuracy of incoming components is crucial for automated welding and assembly in mass volume production. However, thin-walled extrusions made to industrial standards show severe dimensional variations, including gap opening, sidewall inclination, local convexity, and so on. Thus, one major challenge is to [...] Read more.
Dimensional accuracy of incoming components is crucial for automated welding and assembly in mass volume production. However, thin-walled extrusions made to industrial standards show severe dimensional variations, including gap opening, sidewall inclination, local convexity, and so on. Thus, one major challenge is to provide a low-cost correction method to improve the dimensional accuracy at a level demanded by automated assembly and/or product fit-up. A novel correction method called transverse stretch and local bending (TSLB) has recently been developed, enabling one to efficiently correct the dimensional deviations in thin-walled, U-channel profiles at a low cost. However, the lack of in-depth understanding of the underlying mechanism makes it challenging to efficiently optimise and control the process. In this study, the feasibility of this new technique was experimentally validated by four groups of TSLB tests with different profile dimensions, showing a dimensional accuracy improvement of about 92% compared with the as-received parts. The evolution of the critical dimensional characteristics, including gap opening and bottom convexity, is analysed numerically throughout four stages consisting of inserting, releasing, calibration, and springback. It is found that the inserting stage greatly reduces the dimensional deviations in a pure bending state, while the calibration stages further minimise the deviations in the bending and transverse stretching combined state. In addition, the wedge angle of the tool is found to be critical to the dimensional accuracy improvement. The low wedge angle facilitates the correction of sidewall inclination and gap opening, while the high wedge angle contributes to mitigating bottom convexity. The overall outcome of this study enhances the fundamental understanding of the effects of in-process stretching and local-bending on the dimensional capabilities of U-channel extrusions. This can ultimately generate guidelines that will lead to new application areas of aluminium extrusions in highly competitive marketplaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forming of Aluminium Alloys)
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19 pages, 5210 KiB  
Article
The Interaction between the Sheet/Tool Surface Texture and the Friction/Galling Behaviour on Aluminium Deep Drawing Operations
by Alaitz Zabala, Lander Galdos, Chris Childs, Iñigo Llavori, Andrea Aginagalde, Joseba Mendiguren and Eneko Saenz de Argandoña
Metals 2021, 11(6), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11060979 - 19 Jun 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3153
Abstract
The increasing demands for lightweight design in the transport industry have led to an extensive use of lightweight materials such as aluminium alloys. The forming of aluminium sheets however presents significant challenges due to the low formability and the increased susceptibility to galling. [...] Read more.
The increasing demands for lightweight design in the transport industry have led to an extensive use of lightweight materials such as aluminium alloys. The forming of aluminium sheets however presents significant challenges due to the low formability and the increased susceptibility to galling. The use of tailored workpieces and controlled die roughness surfaces are common strategies to improve the tribological behaviour, whilst galling is still not well understood. This work is aimed at analysing the interplay between the sheet and tool surface roughness on the friction and galling performance. Different degrees of Electro Discharge Texturing (EDT) textures were generated in AA1050 material strips, and tooling presenting different polishing degrees were prepared. Strip drawing tests were carried out to model the tribological condition and results were corroborated through cup drawing tests. A new galling severity index (GSI) is presented for a quick and quantitative determination of both galling occurrence and severity. The present study underlines the key role of die topography and the potential of die surface functionalization for galling prevention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forming of Aluminium Alloys)
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15 pages, 4530 KiB  
Article
Deformation Characteristics and Microstructure Analysis of Aluminum Alloy Component with Complex Shape by Cold Orbital Forming
by Wei Feng, Chaoyi Jin, Jiadong Deng and Wuhao Zhuang
Metals 2021, 11(5), 808; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11050808 - 16 May 2021
Viewed by 1711
Abstract
This work aimed to study the deformation characteristics and microstructure of AA6063 aluminum alloy component with complex shape manufactured by cold orbital forming processing. The material flowing behavior was analyzed by Finite Element (FE) simulation and forming experiments were carried out using bar [...] Read more.
This work aimed to study the deformation characteristics and microstructure of AA6063 aluminum alloy component with complex shape manufactured by cold orbital forming processing. The material flowing behavior was analyzed by Finite Element (FE) simulation and forming experiments were carried out using bar blank with different lengths. The microstructure of the boss zone cut from the formed samples was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD). FE simulation and experiment results both showed the aluminum base can be formed using cold orbital forming process. The distributions of the effective strain of the component with different blank lengths were almost the same, and the effective strain was bigger at the boss and the flash as the forming finished. The material flow is complex, especially in the boss, and the folding defect was observed at the root of the boss. The distribution of Mg2Si strengthening precipitate is more homogeneous in the matrix, has a different shape, and shows directivity at different position of boss zone. The grains are elongated, and the extent is different at different positions of the boss zone after cold orbital forming, and the crystal orientation discrepancy is smaller in the component main body and bigger in the boss zone. Subsequent forming process and blank optimization need to be further researched to improve forming quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forming of Aluminium Alloys)
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13 pages, 1397 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Strain Path Changing Effect on Forming Limits of AA 6111-T4 Based on a Shear Ductile Fracture Criterion
by Silin Luo, Gang Yang, Yanshan Lou and Yongqian Xu
Metals 2021, 11(4), 546; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11040546 - 26 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2097
Abstract
Strain path changing is a phenomenon in the stamping of complex panels or multiple-step stamping processes. In this study, the influence of the strain path changing effect was investigated and assessed for an aluminum alloy of 6111-T4 with a shear ductile fracture criterion. [...] Read more.
Strain path changing is a phenomenon in the stamping of complex panels or multiple-step stamping processes. In this study, the influence of the strain path changing effect was investigated and assessed for an aluminum alloy of 6111-T4 with a shear ductile fracture criterion. Plastic deformation of the alloy was modeled by an anisotropic Drucker yield function with the assumption of normal anisotropy. Then the shear ductile fracture criterion was calibrated by the fracture strains at uniaxial tension, plane strain tension and equibiaxial tension under proportional loading conditions. The calibrated fracture criterion was utilized to predict forming limit curves (FLCs) of the alloy stretched under bilinear strain paths. The analyzed bilinear strain paths included biaxial tension after uniaxial tension, plane strain tension and equibiaxial tension. The predicted FLCs of bilinear strain paths were compared with experimental results. The comparison showed that the shear ductile fracture criterion could reasonably describe the effect of strain path changing on FLCs, but its accuracy was poor for some bilinear paths, such as uniaxial tension followed by equibiaxial tension and equibiaxial tension followed by plane strain tension. Kinematic hardening is suggested to substitute the isotropic hardening assumption for better prediction of FLCs with strain path changing effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forming of Aluminium Alloys)
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Review

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23 pages, 78379 KiB  
Review
Analysis of Hydrogen Embrittlement on Aluminum Alloys for Vehicle-Mounted Hydrogen Storage Tanks: A Review
by Yizhe Chen, Shilong Zhao, Huijuan Ma, Hui Wang, Lin Hua and Shuang Fu
Metals 2021, 11(8), 1303; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11081303 - 17 Aug 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7548
Abstract
High-pressure hydrogen tanks which are composed of an aluminum alloy liner and a carbon fiber wound layer are currently the most popular means to store hydrogen on vehicles. Nevertheless, the aluminum alloy is easily affected by high-pressure hydrogen, which leads to the appearance [...] Read more.
High-pressure hydrogen tanks which are composed of an aluminum alloy liner and a carbon fiber wound layer are currently the most popular means to store hydrogen on vehicles. Nevertheless, the aluminum alloy is easily affected by high-pressure hydrogen, which leads to the appearance of hydrogen embrittlement (HE). Serious HE of hydrogen tank represents a huge dangers to the safety of vehicles and passengers. It is critical and timely to outline the mainstream approach and point out potential avenues for further investigation of HE. An analysis, including the mechanism (including hydrogen-enhanced local plasticity model, hydrogen-enhanced decohesion mechanism and hydrogen pressure theory), the detection (including slow strain rate test, linearly increasing stress test and so on) and methods for the prevention of HE on aluminum alloys of hydrogen vehicles (such as coating) are systematically presented in this work. Moreover, the entire experimental detection procedures for HE are expounded. Ultimately, the prevention measures are discussed in detail. It is believed that further prevention measures will rely on the integration of multiple prevention methods. Successfully solving this problem is of great significance to reduce the risk of failure of hydrogen storage tanks and improve the reliability of aluminum alloys for engineering applications in various industries including automotive and aerospace. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forming of Aluminium Alloys)
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