Study on Springback Straightening after Bending of the U-Section of TC4 Material under High-Temperature Conditions

Abstract

The thin-walled structures of titanium alloys have peculiar characteristics involving thin curved surfaces, complicated structures, and a poor rigidity. Therefore, bending or twisting distortion frequently occurs in forging, extrusion, drawing, transportation, cooling, and manufacturing. Straightening theory focuses on the straightening curvature or bending moment at room temperature, and a unified analytical model of the straightening curvature, the straightening bending moment, and the straightening stroke, as well as a study on springback straightening under high-temperature conditions, have not been investigated comprehensively. In order to understand the inherent mechanism of springback straightening and quantitative prediction of springback under high-temperature conditions, uniaxial tension tests were carried out to obtain the true stress–strain model of material and stress relaxation under the stress relaxation model. This paper is based on the theory of elastic-plastic mechanics and combines this with the mechanism of stress relaxation to establish springback and residual relative curvature equations of springback. The law of springback straightening is further explored, and springback and residual deflection equations are provided. The results of the study showed that the relative errors of the theoretical residual deflection of the bending deformation and residual deflections obtained by the experiment were less than 20%, with an average absolute error of less than 10%. Therefore, the hardening models adopted can achieve an allowable relative error if hardening parameters are properly selected. The proposed research provides basic data for the prediction of springback straightening, and the design of springback compensation tools can be applied in practical applications.