Numerical simulation for isothermal forging of cup-shaped component of 6A02 Aluminum alloy

Abstract

Three different die profiles for isothermal forging of cup-shaped component of 6A02 Aluminum alloy were proposed. The processes of isothermal forging were studied by numerical simulation using Deform 3D in order to clarify the effect of the die profile and processing parameters on the forming of the thin-walled, cup-shaped component. The simulation results showed that closed-die forging with optimized die profile was the most satisfactory process due to better filling property, minimized forging flash, and higher dimensional accuracy. Based on the simulation, the material flow and thermomechanical field variables including stress, strain, and strain rate were obtained. The results indicated that the effective stress in the billet during plastic flow was quite low so the requirement for the forging load and die strength was not stringent. In the present study, the microstructure evolution during the forging process was also characterized by evaluating the dynamic recrystallization fraction in different regions within the forged component based on the established critical condition and the kinetic model with respect to the thermal deformation behavior of 6A02 aluminum alloy. The dynamic recrystallization volume fraction gradually increased as the punch displacement increased and the final forging was supposed to be characterized by full dynamic recrystallization