Work

Simulation-Based Investigation of the Distortion of Milled Thin-Walled Aluminum Structural Parts Due to Residual Stresses

Year: 2023

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Nowadays, aluminum components in aircraft are mainly found in the form of thin-walled monolithic structural parts of the internal fuselage and the wings as spars and ribs [1]. This is because these components have excellent material properties for lightweight applications, such as a high strength-to-weight ratio and good corrosion resistance [2]. A typical manufacturing process to produce such structural components is milling. For these weight-optimized, monolithic components, up to 95% of the material is removed by machining [3]. The challenge with these thin-walled structural components, which are up to 14 m long, is that part distortion can occur because of the manufacturing-specific process chain [4]. Residual stresses due to machining and upstream processes such as forming, and heat-treatments are known to be the key factor for causing those distortions [5]. In this research the effect of the residual stresses, the machining strategy, the part topology and the geometry, including the wall-thickness, on distortion were investigated experimentally, and simulatively by validated virtual models based on the finite-element method. Those models can then be used to predict the distortion. At the end distortion minimization techniques were derived.

Source: Springer eBooks

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-35779-4_9

Authors: D. Weber, B. Kirsch, C. R. D‘Elia, B. S. Linke, M. R. Hill, J. C. Aurich

Institutions: Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau, University of California, Davis

Language: English

Topic: Advanced machining processes and optimization

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Science Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft