Forming limit diagram of annealed copper OFE thick sheets for optimized hydroforming of superconducting RF cavities

Abstract

Coated superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities are planned to be implemented in the Future Circular Collider (FCC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The interest in industrialized and high-performance processes for fabrication of the corresponding copper substrates has thus risen. Tubular hydroforming is a well-known industrial process, but has not been thoroughly applied for ultra-pure oxygen-free electronic copper (Cu-OFE) thick products. To provide a feasibility analysis for the optimized fabrication process of copper substrate seamless cavities, a Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) of the material of interest was studied. In this paper, the methodology, test results and initial benchmark of the material model is presented, for 4 mm and 2 mm thick sheets.

Keywords

• Sheet metal forming
• Cu-OFE
• Forming limit diagram
• Superconducting radio frequency
• Hydroforming
• Large deformations