Effect of Operating Parameters on Forces During Backward Flow Forming Process for AA6061

Abstract

Flow forming process has complex nature with non-linear material deformation behavior and used for manufacturing precise thin-walled tubes and axisymmetrical parts. Parts produced from flow forming have advantage of less weight, higher surface finish, and higher mechanical properties due to strain hardening. The tooling design of the flow forming process play vital role for different material and geometrical conditions. In this regard, it is important to understand the nature of forces encountered during the process. Further, force(s) determination is difficult in commercial machine. Hence, in the present investigation, an experimental setup has been developed to conduct experiments on engine lathe with use of single roller, and strategy used was reverse flow forming. The design of experiment (DOE)-based full factorial design method used to conduct the experiments. The effect of speed, feed, and reduction percentage on forces and straining have been investigated. Three levels of each operating parameters were considered during study. The work material was considered as AA6061 due to its light weight, corrosion resistance, easily available, and wide applications in aerospace and aviation sectors. The analysis of forces was carried out based on signal to noise ratio (S/N) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). It was observed that axial force was found main constituent in resultant force followed by radial and circumferential forces. It was also observed that % reduction was most prominent factor that affects the resultant force.