Analysis and homogenization of residual stress in aerospace ring rolling process of 2219 aluminum alloy using thermal stress relief method

Substantial amount of material is removed during the manufacturing process of large ring parts, thereby causing the ring parts to become a thin-walled structure with reduced rigidity. The influence of internal and external factors leads to machining deformation, which is ubiquitous in the actual production process in the aerospace industry. Studies showed that the main factor that causes this type of machining deformation is the initial residual stress inside the blank. The initial residual stress must be homogenized to solve the machining deformation problem. Large and uneven residual stress is easily produced during rolling. The research object in this study is a 2219 aluminum-alloy aerospace rolling ring. First, the mechanical model for the rolling process is established to analyze the mechanical behaviors of the diameter and axial directions. The reasonable parameters for the rolling process are determined according to continuous and penetration conditions. Second, a finite element model was established to simulate the rolling process and the Thermal Stress Relief process. This process was conducted to explore and verify the effect of Thermal Stress Relief treatment on the reduction of residual stress and homogenization of the rolling process. Corresponding rolling and Thermal Stress Relief experiments were conducted to verify the simulation results. The experimental results are highly consistent with the simulation results when the treatment time of Thermal Stress Relief was changed. The Thermal Stress Relief of the rolling ring can effectively reduce and homogenize residual stress. This study is significant for the reduction and homogenization of large residual stress.