Simulation investigation of temperature distribution in large aluminium panel during autoclave age forming process

Abstract

In autoclave age forming process (AAF), temperature uniformity in large aluminium panel is one of the most important factors affecting its final shape and performance. In order to predict the temperature field of the panel, a 3D computational fluid dynamics model for autoclave processing of a large aluminium panel is developed and experimental evaluated. A good fitting between the experimental data and calculated results is obtained. During the heating process, the slowest heating points are positioned at the intermediate positions between 15-40% and between 55-70% of the panel length. The panel's peak temperature difference was appeared in the primary stage of soaking process due to the conduction between the panel and mould. It can be concluded that the developed CFD can further used to provide guidance for mould design and processing parameters optimisation.