Title: Brief introduction and recent development on the manufacture of aluminium alloy integral panels in aerospace applications

Authors: Duanzhi Wang; Fen Xu; Lejian Yuan; Dong Zhang; Jiachen Liu; Yong Hu; Huifeng Kang; Qiusheng Ma; Yang Tong; Wenzhong Han

Addresses: Central South University, Lushan Street 932, Yuelu District, Changsha 410083, Hunan, China; Beijing Institute of Aerospace System Engineering, Beijing, 100076, China ' Changzhou Yihe Hangyu Material Technology Co., Ltd, North Qingyang Street 11, Tianning District, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu, China ' Management Committee of Cangzhou Economic Development District, Xingye Street 23, Cangzhou, 061000, Hebei, China ' Beijing Institute of Aerospace System Engineering, South Dahongmen Street 1, Fengtai District, Beijing 100076, China ' Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Xizhonghuan Road 66, Taiyuan, 030024, China; Heavy Machinery Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, 030024, Shanxi, China ' Beijing Institute of Aerospace System Engineering, South Dahongmen Street 1, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100076, China ' College of Aerospace Engineering, North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering, East Aimin Street 133, Guangyang District, Langfang 065000, Hebei, China ' College of Aerospace Engineering, North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering, East Aimin Street 133, Guangyang District, Langfang 065000, Hebei, China ' Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Xizhonghuan Road 66, Taiyuan, 030024, Shanxi, China; Heavy Machinery Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education, Taiyuan 030024, Shanxi, China ' College of Aerospace Engineering, North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering, East Aimin Street 133, Guangyang District, Langfang 065000, Hebei, China; The Key Laboratory of Trans Air-water Media Aircraft, Langfang, 065000, Hebei, China

Abstract: With the worldwide rapid increase of demand for aerospace applications, such as aircraft, spaceflight missions, and construction of space stations, aluminium alloy integral panels were designed and manufactured to decrease the cost and improve their performance. This review paper briefly introduces the applications, material selection, and development of manufactural technologies of the aluminium alloy integral panels. The manufactural technologies of the integral panels involved milling machining, press bending forming, extrusion, shot peening, creep age forming (CAF), and spin forming. Some developing shot peening and CAF technologies greatly supported a balance among cost, weight, and performance of the aluminium alloy integral panels, which avoided excessive manual labour, low material efficiency, and a mass of machining. The challenge of the combination of structural design, materials selection, and manufactural technology to improve the balance among cost, weight, and performance of the integral panels requires further research and development.

Keywords: aluminium alloys; integral panels; manufacture; shot peening; CAF; creep age forming.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMSI.2021.125814

International Journal of Materials and Structural Integrity, 2021 Vol.14 No.2/3/4, pp.299 - 318

Received: 13 Nov 2020
Accepted: 29 Oct 2021
Published online: 29 Sep 2022 *

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