Investigation on Distortion Mechanism and Correcting Load Calculation Method for Aluminum Beam Structure by Bilateral Rolling Process

Abstract

In aviation industry, flexural deformation of aluminum beam structures after manufacturing process is inevitable. Since the distortion correcting process is generally dependent on workers’ experience, the distortion correcting quality cannot be guaranteed. This is one of the main issues that have baffled the further development of aerospace industry for a long time. To solve this problem, bilateral rolling process which can cause redistribution of the component stress was proposed to satisfy the requirement of distortion correction. In this paper, T-shaped structures were selected as the research object. The internal distortion mechanism was revealed by analyzing the influence of rolling parameters on the macroscopic distortion of the part using FEM (finite element modeling) simulation. Based on theoretical analysis, relationship between rolling parameters and specimen distortion was obtained. Furthermore, method to calculate the equivalent force due to rolling induced residual stress was proposed. This allows an accurate calculation of the correction load caused by rolling operation. A “machining distortion”-“rolling correction” model was established to verify the method. It was confirmed that the calculation of distortion correction load by the proposed method is accurate. This will provide both theoretical and technical support for addressing distortion issue of aerospace monolithic components.