A comprehensive review on creep age forming: Process parameters, alloying effects, and constitutive modeling

Creep age forming (CAF) technology integrates component shaping and age strengthening into a single process. This review systematically examines the critical factors influencing the quality of CAF-processed components, including temperature, aging time, applied stress, and alloying elements, while elucidating their mechanistic roles in governing creep aging behavior. Multi-parametric constitutive models integrating temperature-time-stress coupling effects are analyzed to quantify their synergistic impacts on mechanical properties, with a critical assessment of current model limitations and future development priorities. Furthermore, the optimization outcomes of various CAF processing routes (e.g., multi-stage aging, stress-controlled forming) are evaluated, supported by advanced characterization techniques (e.g., TEM, EBSD) to correlate microstructural evolution (e.g., precipitate morphology, dislocation networks) with macroscopic performance metrics. Predictive simulation frameworks, including finite element analysis (FEA) and machine learning-enhanced models, are reviewed to assess their accuracy in forecasting mechanical properties and propose strategies for precision improvement, such as multi-scale modeling and uncertainty quantification. This comprehensive analysis provides theoretical guidance for optimizing CAF processes and predictive frameworks to achieve enhanced material performance in aerospace and automotive applications.