Alcan International Limited

Novelis, Inc.

Stuart R MacEwen

Peter Hamstra

Robert William Mallory

James D Moulton

Kevin Gong

Yihai Shi

Dubravko Nardini

Pei-Dong Wu

Yi Gao

In hydroforming of hollow metal articles in a die, such as pressure-ram-forming procedures, a method of decreasing cycle time of the forming process, while ensuring acceptable product properties and avoiding failures, by modeling the process using finite element analysis to establish a pressure-time history that optimizes the forming operation and applies failure limits to selected variables such as minimum wall thickness or maximum strain rate, and transferring this pressure-time history to a computer controlling the forming process. Thermocouple and/or continuity sensors are incorporated into the die wall and connected to the computer so as to provide active feedback from the die to the control of the process.

Methods of and apparatus for forming hollow metal articles

A method of forming a bottle-shaped or other contoured metal container by subjecting a hollow metal preform having a closed end to internal fluid pressure to cause the preform to expand against the wall of a die cavity defining the desired shape, and advancing a punch by means of a backing ram into the die cavity to displace and deform the closed end of the preform either before or after expansion begins but before it is complete. The pressure-subjecting step is performed by simultaneously subjecting the preform in the die cavity to independently controllable internal and external positive fluid pressures and varying the difference between them to control strain rate. Apparatus for performing the method includes a split die with plural split inserts disposed in tandem to define the die cavity wall and heaters respectively inserted within the preform and arranged to heat the backing ram.

Methods of and apparatus for pressure-ram-forming metal containers and the like

A method of fabricating an article from a blank of material (e.g., aluminum alloy sheet) having anisotropic deformation properties, with tooling which has been designed by predicting flow and deformation of the blank using an analysis which decouples the anisotropic deformation properties of the blank. The method calculates the response of a small amount of the blank using crystal plasticity theory. The blank can be represented as a mesh having a plurality of elements. A strain path is predicted for each element using finite element analysis (FEA), and a stress-strain curve is defined for each element by performing a material point simulator (MPS) calculation for each element using its respective strain path. A second FEA is then carried out on the elements using the respective stress-strain curve for each element. The stress-strain curve for each element may be defined by assigning to each element a curve which lies between an upper bound curve and a lower bound curve, using various methods. The computational model requires much less CPU time compared to prior art methods.

Method of using isotropic plasticity to model the forming of anisotropic sheet

A method of developing a can (e.g. beverage) bottom profile is presented. More specifically, finite element analysis on a parametric representation of a beverage can is used for developing an improved beverage can design. By specifying performance parameters that the beverage can must meet and providing specific geometric limitations on the design an improved beverage can design is obtained. The resulting improved beverage can design is independent of the gauge of the material used in construction thereof. The improved beverage can provides a concave dome on the bottom of the can connected to a bottom stand which in turn is connected to a cylindrical side wall of the can via a slanted connecting wall.

System and method of developing a can bottom profile and a can with a domed bottom structure

A method of spin forming an open-ended container or other cylindrical metal workpiece by inserting a conically tapering mandrel coaxially therein and pressing the side wall of the workpiece against the inserted mandrel with plural symmetrically arranged forming discs while unidirectionally translating the workpiece, and independently translating the mandrel, relative to the forming discs.

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Inverary, Canada

Stuart R MacEwen