Finite Element Simulation and Deformation Control of High-Speed Milling of Al7050-T7451 Thin-Walled Parts

Background: To reduce environmental pollution and improve resource utilization, lightweight equipment has become an important development trend of manufacturing. Therefore, thin-walled parts are being widely used in automobiles, aerospace, etc. due to their lightweight and high specific strength. However, they usually deform during machining due to poor stiffness. Objective: To reduce the machining deformation, the finite element method has been used to analyze the deformation law of thin-walled parts. Methods: A 3D milling model of Al7050-T7451 thin-walled parts was established. Then, the influence of hole structure, rib, and auxiliary support on the deformation was investigated under the condition of optimized parameters. Moreover, some related patents on the research of machining deformation of thin-walled parts were also consulted. Results: The results showed that the established 3D model could accurately predict the machining deformation of thin-walled parts. The machining deformation on the edges is more severe due to holes that weaken the stiffness of thin-walled parts. Besides, ribbed slab and auxiliary support can shorten machining deformation by 71.9% and 65.2%, respectively.