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Fluid cooling during hot-blow-forming of metal sheets and tubes

A metal plate and metal component technology, applied in the field of thermally softened workpieces, can solve problems such as limited shapes, and achieve the effect of enhancing the overall formability

Inactive Publication Date: 2011-10-19
GM GLOBAL TECH OPERATIONS LLC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Nevertheless, there may be limitations on the desired shape of the article that can be obtained from a given sheet metal alloy

Method used

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  • Fluid cooling during hot-blow-forming of metal sheets and tubes
  • Fluid cooling during hot-blow-forming of metal sheets and tubes
  • Fluid cooling during hot-blow-forming of metal sheets and tubes

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Embodiment Construction

[0037] The invention finds particular use in hot blow forming of light metal alloys such as aluminum-based alloys and magnesium-based alloys which tend to be less formable than mild steel alloys. Some exemplary materials suitable for the practice of hot blow forming include aluminum alloy AA5083 (composition weight percent: magnesium, 4.0-4.9; manganese, 0.4-1.0; zinc ≤ 0.25; balance aluminum) and magnesium alloy AZ31B (composition weight percent : aluminum, 2.5-3.5; zinc, 0.6-1.4; manganese, ≥0.2; balance magnesium). AZ31 magnesium alloy can be hot blow formed in annealed (AZ31B-O) and semi-hard (AZ31B-H24) conditions.

[0038] Hot blow forming is a forming process in which a heated workpiece, usually in the form of cold rolled sheet or tube, is gradually deformed by maintaining a pressure differential through the thickness of the workpiece for a period of time, usually 30 to 300 seconds. In the plane of the workpiece and through its thickness, this deformation will be accom...

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PUM

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Abstract

The invention relates to a fluid cooling during hot-blow-forming of metal sheets and tubes. Concretely, metal sheets and thin-wall metal tubes may be heated to a hot working temperature and transformed by a hot-blow-forming step to achieve shapes, difficult to attain, without excessive thinning or strain causing damage to the workpiece based on the inherent formability of the metal alloy. The stages of forming of the intended shape in the metal workpiece are analyzed and workpiece regions of potential damage during forming are identified. Then, during actual forming, these regions of the hot workpiece are selectively cooled with air (or other cooling fluid) to reduce thinning or strain in the critical region(s) and to redistribute this strain to adjacent lower strain areas of the workpiece. This hot-blow-forming practice is particularly useful in attaining complex shapes in workpieces of aluminum-based alloys and magnesium-based alloys.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention involves the use of pressurized fluid against one side of a heated thin metal workpiece to push and stretch the heat-softened workpiece. The workpiece is typically drawn to conform to the forming surface of a tool on the other side of the workpiece to form the metal into complex shapes. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of a second fluid to selectively cool predetermined high strain locations of deformed metal to enhance the overall formability of the workpiece and minimize localized damage during forming. Background technique [0002] The present invention is concerned with forming thin, relatively lightweight aluminum-based alloy workpieces and magnesium-based alloy workpieces into automotive body panels or generally tubular body or frame structures or the like. Such panels may for example be formed from an initially flat metal slab having dimensions of about 1000 mm x 1500 mm x 1-3 mm. The tubular st...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(China)
IPC IPC(8): B21D26/02
CPCB21D26/021
Inventor J.T.加特R.费马P.E.克拉杰夫斯基
Owner GM GLOBAL TECH OPERATIONS LLC