Creep Forming of an Al-Mg-Li Alloy for Aeronautic Application

Abstract

Creep forming of Al-Mg-Li alloy sheets is studied. An instrumented bulging machine is used to form a double curvature panel at a reduced scale. The deformation of the work-sheet is ensured by a 7475 aluminum alloy lost sheet deformed by a gas pressure applied on its upper surface. A numerical model using the ABAQUS software is developed in order to obtain the pressure law and to ensure the forming conditions during the cycle. This model is validated by comparing experiments and numerical results in terms of deformed shape and thickness evolution.