Theoretical and Application Study of Quick Gas Forming on Sheet Aluminum

High temperature gas forming of aluminum alloys contains two ingredients, superplastic forming (SPF) and quick plastic forming (QPF). The former process is suitable for aero industry featuring low volume production and complex shape parts, and its existence has been about 50 years. The latter one, QPF, deriving from its predecessor, SPF, is suitable for auto industry in medium to large batch production, and its principal user is GM (General Motors) with AA5083.Superplasticity and Superplastic Forming involves three research aspects: (1) Creating superplastic materials and determining their high temperature plastic flow properties, (2) Mechanics analysis and computer simulation of the process, (3) process practice and mold design. Our research group has been doing Superplasticity and Superplastic Forming in all these aspects continuously up to now. We are specializing in the second and third topics based on previous experience in working with the wing strakelet on Boeing 737and our possession of a SPF press.This project proposal will study QPF with 5xxx and 6xxx aluminum sheets. It will focus on three aspects: (1),Select and design and prepare specific 5xxx and 6xxx and study their room & high temperatures’ mechanical properties and associated plastic flow mechanism. (2), Door-in-white structures of car body closures are designed for manufacturing from hot-blow-formed 5xxx and 6xxx aluminum sheet subjecting to mechanical engineering analysis. (3), The gas forming process will be executed with our press in sub-scale, and the complete production system for a specific car body closure will be designed and simulated.Under this project, a post-doctor fellow together with several graduate students will be involved.