In-process grain refinement on AA5052-H32 sheet metal in single-stage single point square hole flanging

Abstract

Hole flanging in sheet metal work can be performed by single point incremental forming. It has been explored by researchers for a decade. Further efforts should be made to decrease the operation time and to improve the mechanical properties of the end product obtained by the forming method. In this direction, a new approach to achieve in-process grain refinement on the aluminium 5052-H32 sheet during single point incremental hole flanging has been presented in this work. Square flanges are formed by a low frequency vibration-assisted method using a novel tool with the single-stage approach. Results show that grain refinement was achieved on the square flanges by the proposed tool and the hardness increased. Moreover, a study on the thickness of the flange, the height of the flange, and surface quality has been presented.