On the effect of the orientation of sheet rolling direction in shot peen forming

Peen forming is commonly used in the aerospace industry to shape large and thin panels, such as wing skins. This manufacturing process uses shot peening to introduce unbalanced compressive stresses near the surface of the component. These stresses tend to bend the panel and, when optimized, lead to the desired contour. Sheet materials often exhibit both elastic and plastic anisotropy, which can alter the development of curvatures. Since peen forming relies on compressive stresses to upset equilibrium, resulting curvatures may also be affected by initial stresses in the part. In this work, the influence of the rolling direction orientation with respect to the sample was investigated experimentally and numerically for the first time for aluminium alloy 2024-T3 specimens. Although maximum deflections were only slightly dependent on the rolling direction orientation, it was found that radii of curvature varied by as much as 10% with respect to this parameter. Finite element simulations allowed quantification of the individual effects of non-equibiaxial initial stresses and elastic orthotropy. It was found that these factors can significantly influence curvature development. Comparison of experimental and numerical results suggested that plastic anisotropy should also be taken into account in future studies. The tools developed in this study show promises for the accurate prediction of peen forming process for large scale components.

► The influence of sheet anisotropy in the peen forming process was investigated. ► For AA2024-T3, sheet anisotropy significantly affected peen formed curvatures. ► The effects of elastic and plastic orthotropy and residual stresses were discussed. ► The effects of elastic orthotropy and residual stresses were quantified using FEM. ► For more accurate predictions, future studies should consider plastic anisotropy.