Performance controlling method for high-strength aluminum alloy shell during ultra-low temperature forming process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11459648-B2
Application number	US-202117189229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2021
Priority date	Jul 15, 2020
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a performance controlling method for a high-strength aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process. The present disclosure greatly improves the performance of an aluminum alloy sheet by applying an ultra-low temperature. The present disclosure cools the aluminum alloy sheet to an ultra-low temperature by using an ultra-low temperature cooling medium, so as to compensate for insufficient hardening caused by insufficient deformation and avoid cracking caused by increased deformation. The present disclosure cools the sheet blank zonally according to a deformation law of a desired curved part, and controls the ultra-low temperature distribution of the sheet blank during forming so as to promote the formation of a substructure in a small-deformation zone. In this way, the present disclosure improves a subsequent age-hardening effect, and corresponding uniformity of microstructure and performance, and effectively solves the problem of non-uniformity due to uneven deformation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A performance controlling method for a high strength an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process, comprising the following steps:
step 1 : locally cooling a small-deformation zone of a special-shaped forming die to an ultra-low temperature lower than 150 K according to a deformation distribution law of a curved part, wherein the aluminum alloy shell is asymmetrical in shape, such that uneven deformation occurs when the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed is gradually fit to a die, and a larger fit zone of the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed deforms more and the smaller fit zone of the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed deforms less; wherein the small-deformation zone of the special-shaped forming die corresponds to a smaller fit zone of the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed; wherein the special-shaped forming die is provided with a melon petal-shaped curved surface, a conical curved surface or a double-curvature curved surface;
step 2 : gripping an aluminum alloy sheet to be formed by gripping jaws;
step 3 : moving the aluminum alloy sheet downwards to fit to the special-shaped forming die; cooling the aluminum alloy sheet in the small-deformation zone to below 150 K, and stretching the aluminum alloy sheet until a curved part with a desired shape is formed;
step 4 : releasing the gripping jaws, taking out the curved part for aging, thereby completing control of a microstructure and performance of the aluminum alloy curved part, to obtain the aluminum alloy shell with the aluminum alloy curved part.

2. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy sheet is a rolled sheet with a wall thickness of 0.1-20 mm.

3. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy sheet is heat-treated into a solid solution state or T4 state.

4. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 1 , wherein a set temperature range of the aluminum alloy sheet and the special-shaped forming die is 4-150 K.

5. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 1 , wherein in step 1 , an ultra-low temperature cooling medium used for the special-shaped forming die is one of liquid argon, liquid nitrogen or liquid helium, and the special-shaped forming die has a built-in passage for circulating the cooling medium.

6. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 1 , wherein in step 2 , after the small-deformation zone of the special-shaped forming die is locally cooled and the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed is gripped by the gripping jaws, a thermal insulation layer is laid on the sheet.

7. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 1 , wherein the special-shaped forming die rests on a press table.

8. A performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process, comprising the following steps:
step 1 : locally cooling a small-deformation zone of a special-shaped forming die to an ultra-low temperature lower than 150 K according to a deformation distribution law of a curved part, wherein the aluminum alloy shell is asymmetrical in shape, such that uneven deformation occurs when the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed is gradually fit to a die, and a larger fit zone of the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed deforms more and the smaller fit zone of the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed deforms less; wherein the small-deformation zone of the special-shaped forming die corresponds to a smaller fit zone of the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed; wherein the special-shaped forming die is provided with a melon petal-shaped curved surface, a conical curved surface or a double-curvature curved surface;
step 2 : gripping an aluminum alloy sheet to be formed by gripping jaws;
step 3 : not cooling the special-shaped forming die, moving the aluminum alloy sheet downwards to fit to the special-shaped forming die, directly cooling the aluminum alloy sheet in the small-deformation zone to below 150 K with a cold gas, and stretching the aluminum alloy sheet until the curved part with a desired shape is formed; and
step 4 : releasing the gripping jaws, taking out the curved part for aging, thereby completing control of a microstructure and performance of the aluminum alloy curved part, to obtain the aluminum alloy shell with the aluminum alloy curved part.

9. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 8 , wherein the aluminum alloy sheet is a rolled sheet with a wall thickness of 0.1-20 mm.

10. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 8 , wherein the aluminum alloy sheet is heat-treated into a solid solution state or T4 state.

11. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 8 , wherein a set temperature range of the aluminum alloy sheet and the special-shaped forming die is 4-150 K.

12. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 8 , wherein in step 1 , an ultra-low temperature cooling medium used for the special-shaped forming die is one of liquid argon, liquid nitrogen or liquid helium, and the special-shaped forming die has a built-in passage for circulating the cooling medium.

13. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 8 , wherein in step 2 , after the small-deformation zone of the special-shaped forming die is locally cooled and the aluminum alloy sheet to be formed is gripped by the gripping jaws, a thermal insulation layer is laid on the sheet.

14. The performance controlling method for an aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process according to claim 8 , wherein the special-shaped forming die rests on a press table.

Assignees

• Univ Dalian Tech

Inventors

• Fan Xiaobo
• Yuan Shijian
• He Zhubin

Classifications

• C22C21/00

  Alloys based on aluminium · CPC title

• C22C21/12

  with copper as the next major constituent · CPC title

• B21D25/02 Primary

  by pulling over a die · CPC title

• C22F1/04 Primary

  of aluminium or alloys based thereon · CPC title

• C21D9/46 Primary

  for sheet metals · CPC title