Finite element analysis of residual stresses during incremental sheet forming of Ti-6Al-4V alloys using different tool path profiles

Abstract

The incremental sheet metal forming is highly flexible and a die-free production method for fabricating various sheet metal components using a CNC spindle tool. Compared to the conventional process, it is beneficial for small-batch components. In biomedical and aeronautical sectors, titanium grade-5 (Ti-6Al-4V) is highly recommended due to its optimal specific strength, biomedical applications, and excellent resistance rate against corrosion. This paper simulates a truncated conical, hemisphere, and hyperbolic geometry in the incremental sheet metal forming process. MATLAB programming is then used to compute the profile, modify, and export the data to the Abaqus input file format for further FE analysis. This research uses an explicit-based computational approach to simulate SPIF and determine the output response parameters such as residual stresses, von Mises stress distribution, and variation in sheet thickness along the deforming depth. The Johnson–Cook (J-C) parameters have been used for carrying out the incremental forming simulations. Compared to other tool path profiles, more compressive stresses were observed in the conical shape profile. The distribution of effective residual stresses and part thickness were also explored in a detailed comparison of various tool path profile predictions.