Experiment and simulation research on cold pressing of multi-pass TC4 hollow blade with low melting point mandrel and flexible tenon

Abstract

Blades are widely used in aerospace, navigation, new energy, and other fields. The blades with hollow structure can not only reduce the weight of the engine and centrifugal force, but also improve the working efficiency and the service life. Though the mechanical properties of blades will be improved during plastic deformation, the hollow structure may be severely destroyed. In this paper, experiments of pressing hollow blades filled with a low melting point (LMP) mandrel are designed. Experimentally, when the LMP alloy is used both as a mandrel material and as a flexible tenon for the blade, the blade can be formed accurately with a well-maintained hollow structure. In addition, the LMP alloy is used as a flexible tenon in the experiment, which can lock some degrees of blade freedom to a certain extent. After the multi-pass pressing, both the forming defect and spring back of the blade can be reduced.