Design of an innovative multi-stage forming process for a complex aeronautical thin-walled part with very small radii

In this paper, an aeronautical thin-walled part with a complex geometry which has several sharp bends and curvatures in different directions was investigated. This kind of part is difficult to be manufactured only in one stage. Therefore, an innovative multi-stage active hydroforming process assisted by the rigid forming method was designed. In addition, an optimized blank geometry is obtained. In fact, the main focused point of this paper is to propose a new small radius rounded corner forming technique and analyze the mechanism. Two kinds of forming modes of changing a big rounded corner into a small one, which are related to different tangential positions of the die in the process of calibration, are analyzed theoretically. Meanwhile, the stress and strain states of the deformation region are compared. The relationships between the minimum relative radii of rounded corners I and II in the first stage and the hydraulic pressure are calculated by the bending theory. Finally, the influences of the tensile-bulging effect and the interface condition of the double-layer sheet on the forming quality of the specimen are investigated. The achieved results can make a foundation for utilizing the proposed method in forming of thin-walled parts with very small radii.