Experimental Investigation on the Formability of Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composites in Spinning of Thin-Walled Axisymmetric Components

Employing carbon nanotubes reinforced aluminum matrix composites by spinning to form thin-walled curved surface components has become a research frontier and hotspot in recent years. However, the high strength and poor plasticity of the composites at room temperature restrict their spinning formability. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study the spinnability of the composites to advance their applications in spinning. This study employed a spherical mandrel, a conical mandrel, and a mandrel-free setup in spinning experiments, whereby the spinnability of carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum matrix composites was systematically investigated across a series of forming parameters. The results indicated that the range of the limit half-cone angle for spherical mandrel spinning is 51^° ~ 64^°, and the corresponding limit thickness reduction ratio is 10.2% ~ 22.4%. It was also found that the effect of the roller nose radius on the limit half-cone angle and the limit thickness reduction ratio is not significant in spherical mandrel spinning. On the other hand, in the multi-pass mandrel-free spinning experiments of the composites, the range of the limit half-cone angle is 60^° ~ 70^°. Furthermore, by comparing the experimental results of conical mandrel and mandrel-free spinning, the effect laws of process parameters on wall thickness were also obtained. The outcomes of this study will provide guidance for the spinning forming of carbon nanotubes reinforced aluminum matrix composites and lay a basis for the process optimization and forming parameter configuration.