Physically-based modelling for sheet metal cone parts forming under blast loading

Forming sheet metals under blast loading or the explosive forming technique has many advantages for productions, but it is restricted due to its accuracy. This paper introduces a novel theoretical-empirical study for explosive sheet metal forming based on the simple plasticity principles. It provides a method of producing the sheet metal cone parts forming under blast loading, including an analytical model and experimental validation. Firstly, a theoretical-empirical model for cone forming based on underwater explosion employing the impulse method is developed. The model on the whole revealed the relationships among the geometrical parameters of forming a process that is very useful to predict the certain explosive mass for complete forming a cone part. Afterward, a series of experiments are conducted to validate the developed model and also for the required modification in the solution. Comparing the theoretical-empirical solution and experimental results, the ability of the presented model for estimation of the explosive mass is demonstrated. Experimental results show that the theoretical model matched the experiments well.