Résumé
Abstract:Laser forming of non-developable surfaces requires an accurate model of both thebending and membrane strains generated. An iterative approach to laser forming can increasethe accuracy of the final shape generated without the need for extreme levels of accuracy inmaterial characterisation and process modelling, by using closed loop control of shapegeneration. In this paper, we report a new approach to iterative laser forming of non-developable surfaces, based on a fixed scan lattice where the required membrane strain iscalculated from a finite element simulation. This forming approach has been used tostraighten friction stir-welded AA2024T3 plates. To the best of our knowledge, this workrepresents the first iterative laser correction of distorted structures.Keywords: laser forming (straightening), surface treatment, iterative procedure, finiteelement simulation, CO 2 continuous wave laser.