Modelling of Hybrid Parts Made of Ti-6Al-4V Sheets and Additive Manufactured Structures

Abstract

The current trend of mass customization pushes conventional production techniques to their limits. In the case of forming technology, limitations in terms of adaptability and flexibility emerge, while additive manufacturing lacks in the manufacturing of large, geometrically simple components. Combining both processes has potential to use the strengths of each process and thus realize time and cost efficient mass customization. As the interactions between the processes have not been fully investigated yet, in this work a distinct modelling approach in LS-DYNA is used to examine the influence of the additively manufactured elements on the formability. Namely, varying geometric properties and number of pins created with additive manufacturing are in the focus of this research. The used material is the alloy Ti-6Al-4V, which requires processing at elevated temperatures due to its low formability at room temperature. The results show a clear influence of the additively manufactured elements on the formability.