Viscous backpressure forming and feasibility study of hemispherical aluminum alloy parts

Hemispherical aluminum alloy parts are extensively used in modern aerospace and other manufacturing fields. However, wrinkling and cracking easily occur due to the large deformation of the parts, which leads to a complicated forming process. This research proposes a viscous backpressure forming method for hemispherical aluminum alloy parts. The forming limit diagram of LF2 sheet is established through the forming limit experiments. By the combination of finite element analysis and experimental verification, the forming process of the parts under different viscous backpressure and loading path conditions as well as the distribution law of stress–strain and wall thickness of the parts, are obtained. By comparing with the forming limit diagrams, technical feasibility of this forming process is discussed. The research results show that qualified parts can be formed using the viscous backpressure forming method under the conditions of viscous backpressure loading throughout the process with the backpressure at or above 12.5 MPa. This provides a reference for the backpressure forming of hemispherical aluminum alloy parts.