RUI: Controlled Biaxial Deformation in Lightweight Alloys at Elevated Temperatures

本科院校研究（RUI）项目旨在通过基于双轴载荷的综合实验方法推进材料表征的现状。金属材料在板料成形过程中会经历双轴拉伸，但双轴拉伸试验的成果往往被单轴加载试验所掩盖。一个定制的设备，能够在控制的双轴拉伸比变形试样将被构建。它将包括一个加热系统，以便在高温下进行测试，以及一个光学应变测量系统，用于准确评估双轴应变。详细的双轴拉伸测试将在多种材料上进行，涵盖广泛的测试条件。收集到的数据对于生成能够准确描述所研究材料的行为的数学方程至关重要。这项研究将集中在轻质合金（镁、铝和钛）上，因为它们的减重特性使它们对汽车和航空航天工业越来越重要。本项目将在一所小学本科院校实施；因此，它将为促进学生参与最先进的研究提供一个独特的机会。该测试设备将支持和丰富多个工程项目的课程和实验室。它还将促进学院内的合作研究活动，特别是在新成立的“能源”和“医用塑料研究”中心内。在目前与通用汽车公司合作的帮助下，这项研究将满足汽车钣金成形行业的需求，并有助于制定急需的双轴测试标准。

This Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) project aims to advance the current state of material characterization via a comprehensive experimental approach that is based on biaxial loading. Metallic materials undergo biaxial stretching during sheet metal forming operations, yet efforts on biaxial testing are overshadowed by those based on the uniaxial loading case. A customized apparatus capable of deforming test specimens at controlled biaxial stretching ratios will be constructed. It will incorporate a heating system to facilitate testing at high temperatures, and an optical strain measurement system for the accurate evaluation of biaxial strains. Detailed biaxial stretching tests will then be carried out on multiple materials, covering a wide range of testing conditions. The collected data is essential to produce mathematical equations that can accurately describe the behavior of the investigated materials. The research will focus on lightweight alloys (Magnesium, Aluminum, and Titanium) because their weight-saving properties make them increasingly critical to the automotive and aerospace industries.This project will be executed at an institution of primary undergraduate education; it will therefore offer a unique opportunity for promoting students involvement in state-of-the-art research. The testing apparatus will support and enrich several courses and laboratories, in multiple engineering programs. It will also promote collaborative research activities within the college, especially within the newly-established "Energy" and "Medical Plastics Research" Centers. Aided by the current ties with General Motors, this research will serve the needs of the automotive sheet metal forming industry, and contribute to the development of a much-needed biaxial testing standard.