Tailoring titanium sheet metal using laser metal deposition to improve room temperature single-point incremental forming

Typically, due to their limited formability, elevated temperatures are required in order to achieve complex shapes in titanium alloys. However, there are opportunities for forming such alloys at room temperature using incremental forming processes such as single-point incremental forming (SPIF). SPIF is an innovative metal forming technology which uses a single tool to form sheet parts in place of dedicated dies. SPIFs ability to increase the forming limits of difficult-to-form materials offers an alternative to high temperature processing of titanium. However, sheet thinning during SPIF may encourage the early onset of fracture, compromising in-service performance. An additive step prior to SPIF has been examined to tailor the initial sheet thickness to achieve a homogeneous thickness distribution in the final part. In the present research, laser metal deposition (LMD) was used to locally thicken a commercially pure titanium grade 2 (CP-Ti50A) sheet. Tensile testing was used to examine the mechanical behaviour of the tailored material. In addition, in-situ digital image correlation was used to measure the strain distribution across the surface of the tailored material. The work found that following deposition, isotropic mechanical properties were obtained within the sheet plane in contrast to the anisotropic properties of the as-received material and build height appeared to have little influence on strength. Microstructural analysis showed a change to the material in response to the LMD added thickness, with a heat affected zone (HAZ) at the interface between the added LMD layer and non-transformed substrate material. Grain growth and intragranular misorientation in the added LMD material was observed. SPIF of a LMD tailored preform resulted in improved thickness homogeneity across the formed part, with the downside of early fracture in a high wall angle section of the sheet

New methods for automatic quantification of microstructural features using digital image processing

Thermal and mechanical processes alter the microstructure of materials, which determines their mechanical properties. This makes reliable microstructural analysis important to the design and manufacture of components. However, the analysis of complex microstructures, such as Ti6Al4V, is difficult and typically requires expert materials scientists to manually identify and measure microstructural features. This process is often slow, labour intensive and suffers from poor repeatability. This paper overcomes these challenges by proposing a new set of automated techniques for 2D microstructural analysis. Digital image processing algorithms are developed to isolate individual microstructural features, such as grains and alpha lath colonies. A segmentation of the image is produced, where regions represent grains and colonies, from which morphological features such as; grain size, volume fraction of globular alpha grains and alpha colony size can be measured. The proposed measurement techniques are shown to obtain similar results to existing manual methods while drastically improving speed and repeatability. The benefits of the proposed approach when measuring complex microstructures are demonstrated by comparing it with existing analysis software. Using a few parameter changes, the proposed techniques are effective on a variety of microstructure types and both SEM and optical microscopy image

Development of the forming limit diagram for AA6016-T4 at room temperature using uniaxial tension of notched samples and a biaxial test

Within the framework of the formability limit assessment in sheet metal forming, testing of notched tensile samples coupled with digital image correlation (DIC) has been analysed as an alternative to overcome the implications of Nakajima testing in relation to times of test preparation, cost of the equipment, presence of friction, and amount of material required for the test. Additionally, the complications of the Nakajima testing at elevated temperatures need to also be considered. In this work, specific notched sample geometries have been investigated to accurately identify the forming limits of Aluminium alloy AA6016 in T4 condition. Once the notched geometry had been defined, experimental tensile testing of the samples coupled with DIC technology allowed us to identify the formability limits of interest. Finally, a comparison at room temperature with the conventional Nakajima testing was performed experimentally. Two different methodologies for strain limit evaluation in notched samples have been investigated in the present analysis. The first one is called a position-dependent method and is based on the inverse best-fit parabola of the “bell-shaped curve”, which is used in the conventional Nakajima test. The second approach referred to a time-dependent method and is based on the strain rate evaluation at the necking zone. This strain-rate-dependent method, which works in combination with DIC measurements, was found to be more accurate to determine the necking limits than the previous one; in addition, it also provides more accurate information for the safe zone of forming

Three pass incremental sheet forming : a new strategy for the manufacture of brass musical instruments

This paper presents a new three pass forming approach using incremental sheet forming (ISF) for the manufacture of a trumpet bell. Brass musical instruments are traditionally manufactured using artisanal methods (cutting, hammering, spinning and finishing) which are labour intensive but deliver superior quality instruments. The aim of this work was to achieve comparable levels of control using ISF. A series of 20 trials were undertaken to establish optimum set up, forming strategy and tool selection. This has resulted in the three pass approach that delivers consistent wall thicknesses within the tolerance zone and a higher component wall angle (79°) than previously achieved axially in ISF. The resulting components are evaluated using GOM scanning to set out the wall thicknesses and surface finishes achieved, and sets out future avenues for investigation in the forming of brass

Study of ultrafine grained Ti-6Al-4V linear friction welds

This paper presents the microstructure investigation results of linear friction welded joints of Ti-6Al-4V samples with coarse-grained (CG) and ultrafine grained (UFG) structure. The features of phase and structural transformations in the weld and the thermo-mechanically affected areas, as well as the microhardness distribution across the width of the welded joint were demonstrated

Mechanical properties of AZ31B magnesium alloy processed by I-ECAP

Incremental equal channel angular pressing (I-ECAP) is a severe plastic deformation process used to refine grain size of metals, which allows processing very long billets. In this work, AZ31B magnesium alloy was processed by routes A, BC and C of I-ECAP. Texture and grain size effects on mechanical properties and tension-compression anisotropy were investigated. Strong influence of processing route on yield and fracture behaviour of material was established. SEM technique was used to obtain microstructure images of I-ECAPed samples subjected to tension and compression. Different deformation mechanisms were activated during tension in samples with coarse and fine grained microstructures. In coarse grained samples large amount of twins was reported while fined grained microstructure exhibited slip dominated deformation. Influence of different deformation mechanisms on mechanical properties was discussed. It was concluded that material properties of AZ31B can be tailored for various applications by using different routes of I-ECAP

Mechanical properties and microstructure of AZ31B magnesium alloy processed by I-ECAP

Incremental equal channel angular pressing (I-ECAP) is a severe plastic deformation process used to refine grain size of metals, which allows processing very long billets. As described in the current article, an AZ31B magnesium alloy was processed for the first time by three different routes of I-ECAP, namely, A, Bc, and C, at 523 K (250 °C). The structure of the material was homogenized and refined to ~5 microns of the average grain size, irrespective of the route used. Mechanical properties of the I-ECAPed samples in tension and compression were investigated. Strong influence of the processing route on yield and fracture behavior of the material was established. It was found that texture controls the mechanical properties of AZ31B magnesium alloy subjected to I-ECAP. SEM and OM techniques were used to obtain microstructural images of the I-ECAPed samples subjected to tension and compression. Increased ductility after I-ECAP was attributed to twinning suppression and facilitation of slip on basal plane. Shear bands were revealed in the samples processed by I-ECAP and subjected to tension. Tension–compression yield stress asymmetry in the samples tested along extrusion direction was suppressed in the material processed by routes Bc and C. This effect was attributed to textural development and microstructural homogenization. Twinning activities in fine- and coarse-grained samples have also been studied