Numerical Simulation and Experiment of Electrically-Assisted Incremental Forming of Thin TC4 Titanium Alloy Sheet
Bo Jiang, Wenbing Yang, Ziyang Zhang, Xifeng Li, Xueping Ren, Yaoqi Wang
Abstract
In order to integrally manufacture the large TC4 titanium alloy part, an electrically-assisted incremental forming process is cleverly proposed to solve the traditional hot forming disadvantages of expensive heating furnaces and long cycle period. The two-step simulation method including thermal-electricity coupling simulation and thermo-mechanical coupling simulation was selected to predict the temperature variations and the sheet deformation behaviors. The electrically-assisted incremental forming experiment of thin TC4 titanium alloy sheet was performed. The highest prediction error is 6% for springback angles. The thrice forming at 10.9 A/mm2 satisfies the precision requirement of the designed part. Therefore, the two-step simulation method can effectively calculate the electrically-assisted incremental process. The electrically-assisted incremental forming technique is very promising for the integral producing large titanium alloy part.