Integrated numerical–experimental framework for predicting fracture and formability in heat-assisted single point incremental forming of AA1050 aluminum sheets

Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) offers a versatile and cost-effective approach for manufacturing complex sheet-metal components, yet its performance is highly sensitive to interacting process parameters, such as temperature, tool geometry and step size. This study presents an integrated numerical-experimental framework for Heat-Assisted SPIF (HA-SPIF) of AA1050 aluminum sheets. Temperature-dependent Forming Limit Curves at Fracture (FLCF) were first established using a proportional method calibrated from uniaxial tensile stress–strain data at 25 ∘ C, 100 ∘ C, 150 ∘ C, 200 ∘ C and 250 ∘ C. Finite element simulations, combined with experimental validation, were then conducted to systematically investigate the influence of forming temperature, wall angle (60–90 ∘ ), vertical step size (0.25–2.0[Formula: see text]mm) and tool diameter (6–14[Formula: see text]mm) on the forming height and fracture behavior of truncated cone specimens. Results indicate that forming height increased from 13.24[Formula: see text]mm to 17.78[Formula: see text]mm as temperature rose from 25 ∘ C to 150 ∘ C, before decreasing to 12.45 mm at 250 ∘ C, with maximum deviations between simulation and experiment below 4.66%. Wall angle, step size and tool diameter exhibited nonlinear effects on forming outcomes, with maximum deviations of 4.28%, 4.26% and 4.33%, respectively. The integrated approach accurately predicts fracture initiation and propagation under varied process conditions, providing a robust tool for optimizing HA-SPIF parameters. These findings deliver critical insights into the coupled thermal, geometric and material effects on incremental sheet forming, enabling improved formability prediction and process efficiency for AA1050 and analogous aluminum alloys.