Finite element simulation analysis of the ultrasonic vibration forging of an aluminum cylinder workpiece

Abstract

The propagation of high intensity ultrasonic wave in the solids can greatly affect the material properties. In this paper, the deformation characteristics of the ultrasonic vibration forging were investigated. For the ultrasonic vibration forging, the ultrasonic wave propagates in the specimen during the forming process. A detailed analysis and understanding of the mechanism of improvement is not possible on the basis of conventional experimental observations because ultrasonic vibration processing phenomenon occurs at a high speed. Hence, in order to study the mechanism of ultrasonic vibration forging, the finite element modeling was performed by using Abaqus/explicit. The metal flow of the ultrasonic vibration forging is totally different from the conventional one, and there is no “drum” effect in the forming process, which is the main characteristic in the conventional forging. Moreover, the stress and equivalent plastic strain distributions after the ultrasonic vibration forging process were explored.