Papers by Author: W. Homberg

Abstract: This article will highlight various aspects of the production process of high performance active elements made of ultra high-strength steels. Focus is put on the processing of thick sheet metal regarding hot forming by means of punching, embossing, and forging processes as well as on thermo-mechanical treatment. Due to the material thickness of the semi-finished parts/blanks used and owing to the high strength of the materials (Rm > 2600 MPa) current production techniques and parameters from the field of thin sheet metal can only be limitedly be transferred and have therefore been specially investigated for this application.

Abstract: This paper presents a sectionwise hydroforming technique for manufacturing of large-area multi-cell sheet metal structures in terms of hump plates. The sectionwise hydroforming technique allows production of hump sheets with variable width and length. The hump plates are based on hexagonal hump geometry. The hump height is optimized for the application as a partition wall in light utility vehicles. Manufactured hump sheets feature a high contour accuracy which allows joining of two hump sheets to a large-area hump plate (up to 1,800 x 2,000 mm). The hump plates have been successfully tested in a load test which proves their potential for light utility vehicles.

Abstract: In this paper, the use of partially or tailored cladded blanks is proposed for the production of multifunctional lightweight components. Therefore, the non-joined sheet areas will be formed to hollow structures by hydroforming subsequent to the partial cladding operation. The paper presents results of research work on the production processes and potential applications of partially cladded blanks in the field of thermal engineering and automotive engineering. Furthermore, it is focused on possible developments regarding the use of multiple materials and process combinations for sophisticated applications e.g. in the field of lightweight constructions.