Utilization the concentrated solar energy for process of deformation of sheet metal

Abstract

Superplastic forming (SPF) is an important industrial process that has found application in sheet metals which saves energy, reduces cost and enhances structural properties in a single operation. One of the essential share of the process is heating of a preform. Due to utilization the concentrated solar energy this operation can be made more simply and cheaper. The goal of this work was to apply the renewable solar energy to current really effective technology. Deformation experiments were performed at schemes both forming with a punch and negative forming. Several aluminum alloys, brass and iron alloy were employed as sheet preforms to obtaining the parts of convex and concave shape. The sheet metals had thickness from 30 μm to 1,5 mm and has been produced by thermal treatment and rolling. The punches were applied of steel and ceramics, the vacuum pump was employed to the negative forming. The mirror dish concentrators both with diameter of 1500 mm and with diameter of 5000 mm were used for heating the metals by solar radiant energy. The solar plant operated in an automatic regime of the Sun tracking to stability the heating. The parts of different shapes were obtained at the temperatures up to 500 °C (Al alloys), 600 °C (brass) and 700 °C (iron alloy) and strain rates from 10 −4 to 10 −2 s −1. Utilization the concentrated solar energy to heating during forming of sheet metals gives the gain and has the perspectives for the places which are distanced from conventional power sources.