Parameter optimisation in V-bending process at elevated temperatures to minimise spring back in Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Abstract

In the forming of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, during assembly high spring back is one of the main problem that causes changes in the dimensions of the component. This work focuses on obtaining the minimum spring back by optimising the process parameters, namely, temperature, punch speed and holding time. Using Taguchi (L9) orthogonal array, V-bending finite element simulations have been performed and validated with experiments. Simultaneously, full factorial simulations (L27) are carried out and the response surface method has been applied in order to study the impact of process parameters and then optimised by using genetic algorithm. Based on the experimental results, the Analysis of variance is applied to determine the influence of individual process parameter in minimising the spring back. In addition, the finite element simulation results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, using the genetic algorithm, the optimal process parameters have been obtained for minimum spring back, which has been validated through experiments as well as finite element simulations.