Investigation of hot metal gas forming process of square parts

Aluminum alloys are considerably used in automotive and aerospace industries because of their high strength to weight ratio. In this manuscript, the gas forming process of aluminum AA6063 tubes at high temperatures up to 500°C is investigated, through experimental and numerical tests. An experimental setup is prepared, and tube specimens are formed in a die with a square cross-section. Finite element simulation of the hot gas forming process is carried out to investigate the effects of process parameters including the time period of forming process, temperature, and loading path. Uniaxial tensile tests under various temperatures and strain rates are performed in order to obtain flow stress curves of the material. Corner radius and thickness distribution of tubular formed parts is investigated. The results show that smaller corner radii could be formed at higher temperatures, whereas lower forming pressure is necessary. Increasing the time period of the process enhances the corners of the specimens to be formed. In addition, the maximum formability is obtained when the gas pressure increases rapidly at the beginning of the process. However, the increasing rate of gas pressure must be reduced to form a smaller corner radius.