A mathematical model of autoclave age forming

Abstract A mathematical model of autoclave age forming of aircraft wing panels is developed. The modeling process is illustrated by application to age forming of beam specimens. It is found that a closed form solution can be obtained for a mold in the shape of a circular arc. Closed form solutions are not possible for other mold shapes and a numerical method is, therefore, developed and applied to two noncircular mold shapes. Comparisons of predictions with experimental data obtained by Textron Aerostructures yield good agreement.