Through-process finite element modeling for warm flanging process of large-diameter aluminum alloy shell of gas insulated (metal-enclosed) switchgear

The large diameter metal shell component (LDMSC) is an important part of gas insulated (metal-enclosed) switchgear (GIS). The LDMSC with multi branches is filled with gas under certain pressure. The plastic forming process is an efficient approach to manufacturing the high reliability LDMSC. The warm flanging process has been widely used to form LDMSC using aluminum alloy. The forming process is characterized by local heating, and the distribution of temperature is strongly inhomogeneous. Although the wall thickness of the shell is 10 mm to 20 mm, the ratio of outer diameter to thickness is more than 40. These present some difficulties in the flanging process and result in some forming defects. Detailed forming characteristics are hard to obtain by analytical and experimental methods. Thus, the through-process finite element (FE) modeling considering heating, forming, unloading, and cooling is one of the key problems to research the manufacturing process of LDMSC. In this study, the through-process FE modeling of the warm flanging process of LDMSC using aluminum alloy was carried out based on the FORGE. The thermo-mechanical coupled finite element method was adopted in the modeling, and the deformation of the workpiece and the die stress were considered together in the modeling. A full three-dimensional (3D) geometry was modeled due to inhomogeneous distribution in all directions for the temperature field. The simulation data of local flame heating could be transferred seamlessly to the simulations of the deforming process, the unloading process, and the cooling process in the through-process FE model. The model was validated by comparison with geometric shapes and forming defects obtained from the experiment. The developed FE model could describe the inhomogeneous temperature field along circumferential, radial, and axial directions for the formed branch as well as the deformation characteristic and the unloading behavior during the warm flanging process. By using the FE model, the forming defects during the flanging process and their controlling characteristics were explored, the evolution of the temperature field through the whole process was studied, and deformation and springback characteristics were analyzed. The results of this study provide a basis for investigating deformation mechanisms, optimizing processes, and determining parameters in the warm flanging process of a large-diameter aluminum alloy shell component.