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US 8,028,558 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for forming of panels and similar parts
OwnerVladimir M. Segalinventor
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OwnerVladimir M. Segalinventor
Estimating the term…
The invention presents method and apparatus for forming of large thin panels and similar parts having integral stiffeners at one side of a board. The method includes progressive forming of preheated billets into sculptured dies of corresponding length and width by a forging die of substantially identical width and short length with slightly inclined and flat forging surfaces providing a smoothly convergent working zone, and a periodical transfer of the sculptured die into the working zone between successive strokes of the forging die. Control of the material flow is performed by selection of a ratio of the working zone length to the billet thickness, variable contact friction at both dies and application of additional compressive forces to the billet at ends of the working zone. For semi-continuous processing of very long parts, the sculptured die is composed by plurality of sectioned elements. Embodiments of the method are conditions of isothermal and super plastic forming of light alloys with sub-micron grained structures.
A method of forming large thin parts, comprising the steps of providing a flat billet of metal having thickness, length and width, placing the billet into a sculptured die of corresponding length and width, preheating the billet and the sculptured die, transferring the preheated die and billet under a forging die having a shorter length than the sculptured die, providing the forging die with inclined and flat surfaces which form a convergent working zone with a contact area length between the billet and dies, selecting a sufficiently large ratio of the contact area length to the billet thickness that prevents the metal flow into directions of billet length and width and provides the metal flow into the sculptured die, performing a predetermined stroke of the forging die into a direction of the sculptured die, retreating the forging die to an original position, feeding the sculptured die and the billet into the working zone on a predetermined distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.