Abstract
Recently, Friction Stir Processing has been introduced as an effective tool to refine the grain structure of sheet metals and enhance their superplasticity. A possible application of friction stir processing is selective grain refinement to enhance deformation uniformity and minimize localized thinning. This selective treatment will result in a sheet with grain size gradient. Very limited studies have been directed toward investigating the effect of grain size gradient on the superplastic deformation during SPF. In this work, Finite Element simulations for the free bulging of a dome made of 7075Al alloy were conducted to examine the effects of initial grain size gradient within the sheet on SPF characteristics. The results clearly demonstrate that selective grain refinement can be utilized to eliminate severe thinning and improve the integrity of the superplastic formed part.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 163-167 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Finite element analysis
- Selective grain refinement
- Superplastic forming