A Study on Multi-defect Constrained Bendability of Thin-walled Tube NC Bending Under Different Clearance

Thin-walled tube numerical control (NC) bending is a tri-nonlinear physical process with multi-defect and multi-die constraints. The clearance on each contact interface is the major factor to indicate the contact conditions. A three-dimensional-finite element (3D-FE) model is established to consider the realistic dynamic boundary conditions of multiple dies under ABAQUS/Explicit platform. Combined with experiment, numerical study on bending behavior and bendability under different clearance between tube and various dies is conducted in terms of wrinkling, wall thinning and cross section deformation. The results show that (1)with smaller clearance of tube-wiper die and tube-mandrel, the wrinkling can be restrained while the wall thinning It and cross-section deformation Id increase; while excessive small clearance blocks tube materials to flow past tangent point and causes piles up, the onset of wrinkling enhances It and Id. (2)Both It and Id decrease with smaller clearance of tube-pressure die; the wrinkling possibility rises with larger clearance on this interface if the mandrel’s freedom along Y-axis is opened; smaller clearance of tube-bend die prevents wrinkling while increases It, and the clearance on this interface has little effect on Id. (3)A modified Yoshida buckling test (YBT) is used to address the wrinkling mechanisms under normal constraints in tube bending: the smaller clearance may restrain wrinkling efficiently; the smaller wall thickness, the less critical clearance needed; the critical clearance for tube bending 38 mm×1 mm×57 mm (tube outer diameter×wall thickness×centerline bending radius) equals about 20% of initial wall thickness.     

Plastic deformation analysis and forming quality prediction of tube NC bending

Plane strain assumption and exponent hardening law are used to investigate the plastic deformation in tube bending. Some theoretical formulae including stress, curvature radius of neu-tral layer, angle of neutral layer deviation, bending moment, wall thickness variation and cross-section distortion, are developed to explain the phenomena in tube bending and their magnitudes are also determined. During unloading process, the springback angle is deduced using the virtual work principle, and springback radius is also given according to the length of the neutral layer which remains unchanged before and after springback. The theoretical formulae are validated by the experimental results or the validated simulation results in literature, which can be used to quickly predict the forming quality of tube numerical control (NC) bending.     

Plastic wrinkling model and characteristics of shear enforced Ti-alloy thin-walled tubes under combination die constraints and differential temperature fields

Plastic wrinkling predictions and shear enforced wrinkling characteristics of Ti-alloy thin-walled tubes under combination die constraints have become key problems urgently in need of solutions in order to improve forming quality in their shear bending processes under differential temperature fields. To address this, a wrinkling wave function was developed by considering their shear bend deformation characteristics. Based on this wave function and the thin shell theory, an energy prediction model for this type of wrinkling was established. This model enables considera-tion of the effects of shear deformation zone ranges, material parameters, loading modes, and fric-tion coefficients between tube and dies on the minimum wrinkling energy. Tube wrinkling sensitive zones (WSZs) can be revealed by combining this wrinkling prediction model with a thermal-mechanical coupled finite element model for simulating these bending processes. The reliability of this wrinkling prediction model was verified, and an investigation into the tube wrinkling char-acteristics was carried out based on the experimental conditions. This found that the WSZs are located on either a single side or both sides of the maximum shear stress zone. When the friction coefficients between the tube and the various dies coincide, the WSZs are located on both sides. The larger the value of the tube inner corner radius and/or the smaller the value of the outer corner radius, the smaller the wrinkling probability. With an increase in the value of the moving die dis-placement, the wrinkling probability increases at first, and then decreases.     

Deformation Behavior of Medium-strength TA18 High-pressure Tubes During NC Bending with Different Bending Radii

To improve the forming quality and forming limit of the numerical control (NC) bending of high-pressure titanium alloy tubes, in this study, using three-dimensional (3D) finite element method, deformation behavior of medium-strength TA18 high-pressure tubes during NC bending with different bending radii is investigated. The results show that the cross-sectional deformation and the wall thickness variation during NC bending of TA18 tubes using a small bending radius (less than 2 times of tube outside diameter) are clearly different from that using a normal bending radius (between 2 and 4 times of tube outside diameter). For bending with a normal bending radius, with or without a mandrel, the distribution of the flattening in the bending area resembles a platform and an asymmetric parabola, respectively. For bending with a small bending radius, with or without a mandrel, the flattening both distributes like a parabola, but the former has a stable peak which deflects toward the initial bending section, and the latter has a more pronounced peak with a bending angle and deflects slightly toward the bending section. The wall thickness variations with a normal bending radius, with and without a mandrel, both resemble a platform when the bending angle exceeds a certain angle. For the bending with a small radius, the distribution of the wall thickness variation without a mandrel follows an approximate parabola which increases in value as the bending angle increases. If a mandrel is used, the thickening ratio increases from the initial bending section to the bending section.     

Effects of geometrical parameters on wrinkling of thin-walled rectangular aluminum alloy wave-guide tubes in rotary-draw bending

Inner flange and side wrinkling often occur in rotary-draw bending process of rectangular aluminum alloy wave-guide tubes, and the distribution and magnitude of wrinkling is related to geometrical parameters of the tubes. In order to study the effects of geometrical parameters on wrinkling of rectangular wave-guide tubes, a 3D-FE model for rotary-draw bending processes of thin-walled rectangular aluminum alloy wave-guide tubes was built based on the platform of ABA-QUS/Explicit, and its reliability was validated by experiments. Simulation and analysis of the influence laws of geometrical parameters on the wave heights of inner flange and side wrinkling were then carried out. The results show that inner flange wrinkling is the main wrinkling way to rectan- gular wave-guide tubes in rotary-draw bending processes, but side wrinkling cannot be neglected because side wrinkling is 2/3 of inner flange wrinkling when b and h are smaller. Inner flange and side wrinkling increase with increasing b and h; the influence of b on side wrinkling is larger than that of h, while both b and h affect inner flange wrinkling greatly. Inner flange and side wrinkling decrease with increasing R/h; the influence of h on inner flange and side wrinkling is larger than that of R.     

In-plane corrugated cosine honeycomb for 1D morphing skin and its application on variable camber wing

A novel 0-Poisson’s ratio cosine honeycomb support structure of flexible skin is proposed. Mechanical model of the structure is analyzed with the energy method, finite element method (FEM) and experiments have been performed to validate the theoretical model. The in-plane characteristics of the cosine honeycomb are compared with accordion honeycomb through analytical models and experiments. Finally, the application of the cosine honeycomb on a variable camber wing is studied. Studies show that mechanical model agrees well with results of FEM and experiments. The transverse non-dimensional elastic modulus of the cosine honeycomb increases (decreases) when the wavelength or the wall width increases (decreases), or when the amplitude decreases (increases). Compared with accordion honeycomb, the transverse non-dimensional elastic modulus of the cosine honeycomb is smaller, which means the driving force is smaller and the power consumption is less during deformation. In addition, the cosine honeycomb can satisfy the deform- ing requirements of the variable camber wing.     

Quasi-static tensile behavior of large-diameter thin-walled Ti–6Al–4V tubes at elevated temperature

As promising light-weight and high-performance structure components, large-diameter thin-walled(LDTW) Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy(TC4) bent tubes are needed most urgently in many industries such as aviation and aerospace. Warm bending may be a feasible way for manufacturing these components. Understanding their temperature and strain rate dependent tensile behavior is the foundation for formability improvement and warm bending design. In this paper, uniaxial tensile tests were conducted at elevated temperatures ranging from 298 K to 873 K at tensile velocities of 2, 10, 15 mm/min. The main results show that the tensile behavior of LDTW TC4 tubes is different from that of TC4 sheets. The typical elongation of TC4 tubes at room temperature is 10%lower than that of TC4 sheets. The flow stress of TC4 tubes decreases greatly by about 50% with the temperature rising to 873 K. At temperatures of 573–673 K, the hardening exponent is at its highest value, which means the deformation mechanism changes from twining to more dislocation movement by slipping. The fracture elongation of TC4 tubes fluctuates with increasing temperature,which is associated with changes in the deformation mechanism and with the blue brittleness. The fractography of TC4 tubes at various temperatures, especially at 673 K, shows that second phases and impurities significantly influence fracture elongation. By considering the characteristics of the tensile behavior and by properly choosing the die material, the warm bending for TC4 tubes can be achieved at temperatures of 723–823 K.     

Analytical Solution for Predicting In-plane Elastic Shear Properties of 2D Orthogonal PWF Composites

This paper proposes a new analytical solution to predict the shear modulus of a two-dimensional(2D) plain weave fabric(PWF) composite accounting for the interaction of orthogonal interlacing strands with coupled shear deformation modes including not only relative bending but also torsion,etc.The two orthogonal yarns in a micromechanical unit cell are idealized as curved beams with a path depicted by using sinusoidal shape functions.The internal forces and macroscopic deformations carried by the yarn families,together with macroscopic shear modulus of PWFs are derived by means of a strain energy approach founded on micromechanics.Three sets of experimental data pertinent to three kinds of 2D orthogonal PWF composites have been implemented to validate the new model.The calculations from the new model are also compared with those by using two models in the earlier literature.It is shown that the experimental results correlate well with predictions from the new model.     

Inner wrinkling control in hydrodynamic deep drawing of an irregular surface part using drawbeads

Inner wrinkling phenomenon is more likely to develop during hydrodynamic deep drawing （HDD） of complicated component-forms due to the higher demand for controlling deformation sequences. Aiming at the problems in control of inner wrinkling for an irregular surface part featured with both concavity and convex, this research proposes an optimal design method of drawbead parameters to change the material flow. According to theoretical analysis of the mechanism of inner wrinkling, optimizing cavity pressure only is unreasonable to form a wrinkle-free deep-drawn part, so semi-circular drawbeads are employed. The effects of layout and height of drawbeads on forming results are discussed, and a process window is established based on evaluation indicators including the anti-wrinkle coefficient and the minimum wall thickness. Experiments are carried out to validate the process window, and the wall thickness and the wrinkle height are measured and compared with numerical findings. The results show that the anti-wrinkle ability of drawbeads weakens with increasing oblique angle and distance from the die center, while the wall thickness increases with increasing oblique angle and distance, and the inner wrinkling can be completely suppressed by drawbeads arranged in zones I and II with optimum penetration.     

Dependence of creep age formability on initial temper of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy

The initial temper of the material may directly affect the whole creep age forming(CAF)process. In terms of creep deformation and stress relaxation, using the constant-stress creep aging and constant-strain stress relaxation aging tests, the relationship between initial temper and CAF formability is investigated for an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy at 165 °C for 18 h. Three tempers are selected as the initial tempers in CAF, viz., solution, retrogression and re-solution. The CAF formability of this alloy with initial temper of retrogression is the best, and the creep strain of the retrogression tempered specimen after creep aging of 18 h is about 1.21 and 1.34 times than that of the solution and the re-solution tempered specimens, respectively. The calculated stress exponents of this alloy with three initial tempers range from 7.3 to 9.5, indicating that the CAF of this alloy is mainly controlled by the dislocation creep. The various formability for three initial tempers are attributed to different inhibitions of the transgranular precipitates on the dislocation movement. For the retrogression temper, the initial fine and uniformly distributed precipitates are seriously coarsened after6 h of CAF, which minimally inhibit the dislocation movement. While, for the re-solution temper,the fine precipitates are re-precipitated in the matrix of the alloy, which observably hinder the dislocation movement and lead to the worst formability.     

Computational aerodynamic analysis on perimeter reinforced （PR）-compliant wing

Abstract Implementing the morphing technique on a micro air vehicle （MAV） wing is a very chal- lenging task, due to the MAWs wing size limitation and the complex morphing mechanism. As a result, understanding aerodynamic characteristics and flow configurations, subject to wing structure deformation of a morphing wing MAV has remained obstructed. Thus, this paper presents the investigation of structural deformation, aerodynamics performance and flow formation on a pro- posed twist morphing MAV wing design named perimeter reinforced （PR）-compliant wing. The numerical simulation of two-way fluid structure interaction （FSI） investigation consist of a quasi- static aeroelastic structural analysis coupled with 3D incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier- Stokes and shear-stress-transport （RANS-SST） solver utilized throughout this study. Verification of numerical method on a rigid rectangular wing achieves a good correlation with available exper- imental results. A comparative aeroelastic study between PR-compliant to PR and rigid wing per- formance is organized to elucidate the morphing wing performances. Structural deformation results show that PR-compliant wing is able to alter the wing＇s geometric twist characteristic, which has directly influenced both the overall aerodynamic performance and flow structure behavior. Despite the superior lift performance result, PR-compliant wing also suffers from massive drag penalty, which has consequently affected the wing efficiency in general. Based on vortices investigation, the results reveal the connection between these aerodynamic performances with vortices formation on PR-comoliant wing.     

Static Pull and Push Bending Properties of RTM-made TWF Composite Tee-joints

This paper deals with static pull and push bending tests on two-dimensional (2D) orthogonal EW220/5284 twill weave fabric (TWF) composite tee-joints processed with the resin transfer moulding (RTM) technique. Static pull and push bending properties are determined and failure initiation mechanism is deduced from experimental observations. The experiments show that the failure initiation load, on average, is greater for push bending than for pull bending, whereas the scatter is smaller for push bending than for pull bending. The failure mode of RTM-made tee-joints in pull bending tests can be reckoned to be characteristic of debonding of resin matrix at the interface between the triangular resin-rich zone and the curved web of tee-joint until complete separation of the curved web from the bottom plate. In contrast, as distinct from the products subject to pull bending loading, the RTM tee-joints in push bending tests experience matrix cracking and fibre fracture from outer layers to inner layers of the bottom plate until catastrophic collapse resulting from the bending. Three-dimensional finite element (FE) models are presented to simulate the load transfer path and failure initiation mechanism of RTM-made TWF composite tee-joint based on the maximum stress criterion. Good correlation between experimental and numerical results is achieved.     

Experimental validation of a new morphing trailing edge system using Price – Païdoussis wind tunnel tests

This paper presents the design and manufacturing of a new morphing wing system carried out at the Laboratory of Applied Research in Active Controls, Avionics and AeroServoElasticity(LARCASE) at the ETS in Montréal. This first version of a morphing wing allows the deformation of its trailing edge, denote by Morphing Trailing Edge(MTE). In order to characterize the technical impact of this deformation, we compare its performance with that of a rigid aileron by testing in the LARCASE's price-Pa?doussis subsonic wind tunnel. The first set of results shows that it is possible to replace an aileron by a MTE on a wing, as an improvement was observed for the MTE aerodynamic performances with respect to the aileron aerodynamic performances.The improvement consisted in the fact that the drag coefficient was smaller, and the lift-to-drag ratio was higher for the same lift coefficient.     

Nonlinear bending analysis of a 3D braided composite cylindrical panel subjected to transverse loads in thermal environments

The aim of this study is to investigate nonlinear bending for a 3-Dimensional(3D)braided composite cylindrical panel which has transverse loads on its finite length. By refining a micro-macro-mechanical model, the 3D braided composite can be treated as a representative average cell system. The geometric structural properties of its components deeply depend on their positions in the section of the cylindrical panel. The embedded elastic medium of the panel can be described by a Pasternak elastic foundation. Via using the shell theory of the von Ka′rma′nDonnell type of kinematic nonlinearity, governing equations can be established to get higherorder shear deformation. The mixed Galerkin-perturbation method is applied to get the nonlinear bending behavior of the 3D braided cylindrical panel with a simply supported boundary condition.Based on the analysis of the braided composite cylindrical panel with variable initial stress, geometric parameter, fiber volume fraction, and elastic foundation, serial numerical illustrations are archived to represent the appropriate nonlinear bending responses.     

Analytic estimation and numerical modeling of actively cooled thermal protection systems with nickel alloys

Actively cooled thermal protection system has great influence on the engine of a hypersonic vehicle, and it is significant to obtain the thermal and stress distribution in the system. So an analytic estimation and numerical modeling are performed in this paper to investigate the behavior of an actively cooled thermal protection system. The analytic estimation is based on the electric analogy method and finite element analysis（FEA） is applied to the numerical simulation. Temperature and stress distributions are obtained for the actively cooled channel walls with three kinds of nickel alloys with or with no thermal barrier coating（TBC）. The temperature of the channel wall with coating has no obvious difference from the one with no coating, but the stress with coating on the channel wall is much smaller than that with no coating. Inconel X-750 has the best characteristics among the three Ni-based materials due to its higher thermal conductivity, lower elasticity module and greater allowable stress. Analytic estimation and numerical modeling results are compared with each other and a reasonable agreement is obtained.     

Fracture Behavior of TiNi Based Shape Memory Alloy Cold-rolled Tube

The microstructures and interfacial characteristics of matrices at the inwalls and the out-walls of the cold-rolled tube with different amounts of deformation were investigated by the scanning electronic microscope (SEM), the optical microscope (OM), and the trans-mission electronic microscope (TEM) techniques. It was observed that as the amount of deformation increases, the flaws nucleate at the out-walls of the cold rolled tube, the stress-induced martensites change from (111 ) type Ⅰ twins to (011) type Ⅱ twins and then to (100) compound twins, nanocrystals and bulk amorphisation happen, the high density dislocation causes stress concentration at the out-walls of the Ti50Ni50 cold-rolled tube, and then precipitates its fracture, and the Ti2Ni particles strengthen the grain boundaries and curb the dislocation movements during plastic deformation. The inhomogeneity level of the grains in the Ti50Ni50 alloy plays an important role on the fracture of the Ti50Ni50 cold rolled tube.     

Optimization of structural parameters for elliptical cross-section spiral equal-channel extrusion dies based on grey theory

The elliptical cross-section spiral equal-channel extrusion (ECSEE) process is simulated by using Deform-3D finite element software. The ratio m of major-axis to minor-axis length for ellipse-cross-section, the torsion angle u, the round-ellipse cross-section transitional channel L1, the elliptical rotation cross-section transitional channel L2 and the ellipse-round cross-section transitional channel L3 are destined for the extrusion process parameters. The average effective strain eave on cross-section of blank, the deformation uniformity coefficient a and the value of maximum damage dmax are chosen to be the optimize indexes, and the virtual orthogonal experiment of L16 (45) is designed. The correlation degree of the process factors affecting eave, a and dmax is analyzed by the numerical simulation results using the weights and grey association model. The process parameters are optimized by introducing the grey situation decision theory and the ECSEE optimal combination of process parameters is obtained: u of 120 , m of 1.55, L1 of 7 mm, L2 of 10 mm, and L3 of 10 mm. Simulation and experimental results show that the material can be refined with the optimized structural parameters of die. Therefore, the optimization results are satisfactory.     

Fracture Behavior of TiNi Based Shape Memory Alloy Cold-rolled Tube

The microstructures and interracial characteristics of matrices at the inwalls and the out-walls of the cold-rolled tube with different amounts of deformation were investigated by the scanning electronic microscope （SEM）, the optical microscope （OM）, and the transmission electronic microscope （TEM） techniques. It was observed that as the amount of deformation increases, the flaws nucleate at the out-walls of the cold rolled tube, the stress-induced martensites change from （111 ） type Ⅰ twins to （011） type Ⅱ twins and then to （100） compound twins, nanocrystals and bulk amorphisation happen, the high density dislocation causes stress concentration at the out-walls of the Ti50Ni50 cold-rolled tube, and then precipitates its fracture, and the Ti2Ni particles strengthen the grain boundaries and curb the dislocation movements during plastic deformation. The inhomogeneity level of the grains in the Ti50Ni50 alloy plays an important role on the fracture of the Ti50Ni50 cold rolled tube.     

Vibration suppression of thin-walled workpiece machining considering external damping properties based on magnetorheological fluids flexible fixture

Milling of the thin-walled workpiece in the aerospace industry is a critical process due to the high flexibility of the workpiece. In this paper, a flexible fixture based on the magnetorheological(MR) fluids is designed to investigate the regenerative chatter suppression during the machining.Based on the analysis of typical structural components in the aerospace industry, a general complex thin-walled workpiece with fixture and damping constraint can be equivalent as a rectangular cantilever beam. On the basis of the equivalent models, natural frequency and mode shape function of the thin-walled workpiece is obtained according to the Euler–Bernoulli beam assumptions. Then,the displacement response function of the bending vibration of the beam is represented by the product of all the mode shape function and the generalized coordinate. Furthermore, a dynamic equation of the workpiece-fixture system considering the external damping factor is proposed using the Lagrangian method in terms of all the mode shape function and the generalized coordinate, and the response of system under the dynamic cutting force is calculated to evaluate the stability of the milling process under damping control. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach are validated by the impact hammer experiments and several machining tests.     

Instability analysis and drag coefficient prediction on a swept RAE2822 wing with constant lift coefficient

Swept wing is widely used in civil aircraft,whose airfoil is chosen,designed and optimized to increase the cruise speed and decrease the drag coefficient.The parameters of swept wing,such as sweep angle and angle of attack,are determined according to the cruise lift coefficient requirement,and the drag coefficient is expected to be predicted accurately,which involves the instability characteristics and transition position of the flow.The pressure coefficient of the RAE2822 wing with given constant lift coefficient is obtained by solving the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation numerically,and then the mean flow is calculated by solving the boundary layer(BL) equation with spectral method.The cross-flow instability characteristic of boundary layer of swept wing in the windward and leeward is analyzed by linear stability theory(LST),and the transition position is predicted by eNmethod.The drag coefficient is numerically predicted by introducing a laminar/turbulent indicator.A simple approach to calculate the lift coefficient of swept wing is proposed.It is found that there is a quantitative relationship between the angle of attack and sweep angle when the lift coefficient keeps constant;when the angle of attack is small,the flow on the leeward of the wing is stable.when the angle of attack is larger than 3°,the flow becomes unstable quickly;with the increase of sweep angle or angle of attack the disturbance on the windward becomes more unstable,leading to the moving forward of the transition position to the leading edge of the wing;the drag coefficient has two significant jumping growth due to the successive occurrence of transition in the windward and the leeward;the optimal range of sweep angle for civil aircraft is suggested.