Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Process Parameters during Aluminium Wheel

Ecofriendly, lightweight, and high-efficiency are the most important key words in manufacturing fields, especially the automobile industries. There have been many studies on lightweight automotive design [1] to [4]. For this, reducing the weight of the wheels can be a solution. Both steel wheels and aluminium alloy wheels for passenger cars are used. The aluminium wheel’s weight can be one-third less than that of a steel wheel. If the weight below the spring of the automobile is reduced by 1 kg, the total weight of the car can be reduced 10 to 15 kg [5]. This can lead to higher efficiency and more environmentally friendly automobiles. Aluminium wheels can be manufactured by casting or by casting followed by flow forming. Friction stir welding can also be used for the production of aluminium wheels, and many studies have been conducted on this technique [6] to [10]. If flow forming is included in the manufacturing process, the weight can be reduced by 10 to 18% because the mechanical characteristics are improved. During aluminium flow forming, three side rolls are used. The first roll starts to operate when the process begins and the second roll begins to operate a few seconds later, followed by the third roll. The three rolls operate at the same time during the process except at the beginning and the end. However, because of its complicated shape, there is no systematic design approach to determine the optimal process condition to increase geometric accuracy. Therefore, in the field, manufacturers rely on trial-and-error methods to find the best process condition. Many studies have been performed to understand the flow-forming process. Wong et al. reviewed the principles and developments of flow forming and insisted on the great potential of manufacturing complex shapes [11]. Yao and Murata experimentally investigated the process parameters, including feed rate, radial force, and surface roughness, for aluminium tube flow forming [12]. Molladavoudi and Djavanroodi experimentally investigated the effects of thickness reduction on the mechanical properties and spinning accuracy [13]. Lee and Lu demonstrated the relationship between the load of roller and mandrel to the strain rate and surface roughness. They also confirmed that it is beneficial to have larger rollers since the surface finishing is better than with smaller rollers [14]. Davidson et al. found that the depth of cut in turning operation is an important process parameter affecting the percentage of elongation, by using the Taguchi method [15]. While many experimental studies on flow forming have been done, there also have been studies using the finite element method (FEM) to investigate the flow forming process. Xu et al. used a 3D rigid Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Process Parameters during Aluminium Wheel Flow-Forming Hwang, S.Y. – Kim, N. – Lee, C.S. So Young Hwang – Naksoo Kim – *Cheol-soo Lee Sogang University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea