Numerical simulation and optimization of the hot isostatic pressure process of a part of aircraft structure

Abstract

Hot isostatic pressure process (HIP) has been widely used in aviation and aerospace fields to produce high-performance components with requirements of lightweight, high-reliability, and high-load requirement. During the HIP process, components are produced by powders arrangement, deformation, and bound diffusion. However, the limitation of the HIP process is the non-uniform density distribution of the product, which should be eliminated by appropriate design of the process. In this study, the HIP process of a part of aircraft structure is numerically studied. An improved Shima model for the HIP is introduced to investigate the deformation and densification process of the component. Two schemes of the HIP process are designed and compared by analyzing the relative density distribution at the selected sections of the component. Based on the optimized scheme, the component with uniform density distribution and high density is produced. The results indicated that the proposed model can predict the density distribution of the component produced by the HIP process and is helpful for process optimization.