Description
Abstract: Single Point Incremental Forming is a die-less manufacturing process where metal sheet is locally deformed by a rigid tool that moves along a pre-defined tool path. It serves as an alternative processing method to conventional stamping and deep drawing, offering cost savings for small volume production. Sheets of AA 7075-O were incrementally formed into cones and characterized for grain structure, texture and surface finish evolution by a combination of electron and optical microscopy techniques. Strain history of several locations along the wall was analyzed during forming using finite element analysis. As equivalent strain increased, grains elongated along the cone wall. Both grain length and width evolved linearly with strain, indicating that the grains elongated proportionally to the equivalent deformation of the sheet. The <111> texture variant was strong with respect to the elongation direction. Cracks and other surface features increased in size and density with increasing strain.
Authors: Maya Nath, Erika Salem, Jaekwang Shin, Timothy Odykirk, Mihaela Banu, and Alan Taub
Keywords: Microstructure, Surface Finish, Single Point Incremental Forming, AA 7075