Effect of Material Model on Finite Element Modeling of Aerospace Alloys

Increasing acceptance and use of hydroforming technology within the aerospace industry requires a comprehensive understanding of critical issues such as the material characteristics, friction condition and hydroformability of the material. Moreover, the cost of experiments that can be reduced by accurate finite element modeling (FEM), which entails the application of adapted constitutive laws for reproducing with confidence the material behavior. In this paper, the effect of different constitutive laws on FEM of tubular shapes is presented. The free expansion process was considered for developing the FEM. Bulge height, thickness reduction and strains were determined at the maximum bulge height using different constitutive models, including Hollomon, Ludwik, Swift, Voce, Ludwigson. In order to minimize the effect of friction, the free expansion experiments were performed with no end feeding. The simulation results were compared with the experimental data to find the appropriate constitutive law for the free expansion process.