Method for preparing thin-walled preforms by laser metal deposition and follow-up rolling

A method for preparing thin-walled preforms by laser metal deposition and follow-up rolling, comprising the following steps:

• step 1. designing thin-walled preforms:
• analyzing the characteristics of complex thin-walled components, and determining the material and outline sizes of the thin-wall preforms required for hot gas bulging forming of the complex thin-walled components by theoretical calculation or FEM reverse simulation method;
• the thin-walled preforms comprising thin-walled slabs and thin-walled billets which can be divided into equal wall thickness thin-walled slabs/billets and variable wall thickness thin-walled slabs/billets according to thickness uniformity;
• step 2. determining process parameters of laser metal deposition:
• selecting layer thickness according to the structures and shapes of the thin-walled preforms determined in step 1;
• selecting the layer thickness of the preforms as 0.4-0.6 mm for the equal wall thickness thin-walled slabs/billets;
• selecting the layer thickness of the preforms as 0.2-0.4 mm for the variable wall thickness thin-walled slabs/billets;
• a single layer lift of a laser head being equal to the layer thickness of the preforms;
• determining a laser scanning path according to a layering result obtained after an STL model of the thin-walled preforms is processed by layering slice software;
• and determining other process parameters of laser metal deposition, comprising laser power, spot diameter, scanning speed, powder feeding rate, gas composition, pressure and flow rate, according to the forming wall thickness and forming requirements of the thin-walled preforms;
• step 3. determining roller follow-up rolling solutions and process parameters:
• selecting different follow-up rolling solutions according to the outline sizes of the thin-walled preforms determined in step 1;
• for preparation of the thin-walled slabs, adopting a solution that a roller conducts integral follow-up rolling on a layer after the layer is printed by laser, or adopting a solution that the roller conducts local follow-up rolling while laser printing;
• for preparation of the thin-walled billets:
• adopting the solution that the roller conducts local follow-up rolling while laser printing because the billets have closed sections;
• for integral follow-up rolling:
• a roller spacing is equal to the forming wall thickness of the preforms, a roller length is equal to the total length of a single-track single deposition layer, and a roller diameter is equal to the layer thickness of the preforms, wherein a specific calculation process of roller speed is:
• h=n·t1·π·d (1)
• where h represents the layer thickness of the preforms, n represents the roller speed, t1 represents the scanning time of a single-track single layer of the laser head, and d represents the roller diameter;
• t1=L/V (2)
• where L represents the total length of the single-track single deposition layer, and V represents laser scanning speed;
• an expression of the roller speed in the integral follow-up rolling solution is:
• n
• =
• h
• ·
• V
• π
• ·
• d
• ·
• L
• (
• 3
• )
• for local follow-up rolling:
• a roller spacing is equal to the forming wall thickness of the preforms, an axial roller length is greater than or equal to 3 times the layer thickness of the preforms, and a roller diameter is equal to the layer thickness of the preforms, wherein a specific calculation process of roller speed is:
• n·t2·π·d=V·t2 (4)
• where n represents the roller speed, t2 represents the movement time of the laser head, d represents the roller diameter and V represents laser scanning speed;
• an expression of the roller speed in the local follow-up rolling solution is:
• n
• =
• V
• π
• ·
• d
• (
• 5
• )
• step 4. conducting laser printing on an nth layer and completing follow-up rolling:
• printing an nth deposition layer according to the laser metal deposition process parameters determined in step 2 and the roller follow-up rolling solution and process parameters determined in step 3;
• making the roller and the laser head move synchronously in a printing process;
• and conducting follow-up rolling on a deposited area after the laser printing;
• step 5. repeating step 2 to step 4:
• calculating the total number of laser printing layers according to the total forming height of the thin-walled preforms and the layer thickness determined in step 2;
• wherein the total number of printing layers is equal to the total forming height of the thin-walled preforms divided by the layer thickness;
• repeating step 2 to step 4, predicting the deposition of a next layer after printing one layer, and then conducting deposition forming layer by layer, until the thin-walled preforms are printed;
• step 6. post-processing the thin-walled preforms:
• after completing the preparation of the thin-walled preforms by laser metal deposition, conducting hot isostatic pressing on the formed thin-walled preforms under high temperature and high pressure conditions to eliminate micro-cracks, gas holes and unfused defects in the thin-walled preforms after laser metal deposition manufacture;
• and necessarily polishing and cleaning the ends and surfaces of the preforms to obtain the thin-walled preforms which are finally used for forming the complex thin-wall components by hot gas bulging.