Parametric Analysis of the Mandrel Geometrical Data in a Cold Expansion Process of Small Holes Drilled in Thick Plates

Cold expansion technology is a cold-forming process widely used in aeronautics to extend the fatigue life of riveted and bolted holes. During this process, an oversized mandrel is pushed through the hole in order to yield it and generate compressive residual stresses contributing to the fatigue life extension of the hole. In this paper, a parametric analysis of the mandrel geometrical data (inlet angle straight zone length and diametric interference) and their influence on the residual stresses was carried out using a finite element method (FEM). The obtained results were compared with the conclusions presented in a previous parametric FEM analysis on the influence of the swage geometry in a swaging cold-forming process of gun barrels. This process could be considered, in a simplified way, as a scale-up of the cold expansion process of small holes, and this investigation demonstrated the influence of the diameter ratio (K) on the relation between the mandrel or swage geometry and the residual stresses obtained after the cold-forming process.