Papers by Keyword: Forming

Abstract: The combination of the conventional forming processes rolling and extruding enables the continuous production of cross-sectional aluminum long products. Regarding power consumption and resulting material specifications, the combined process offers various advantages in comparison to its conventional alternatives [1, 2]. The combined rolling and extrusion process is in an early stage of maturity. The production of pure aluminum wire is state of the art. The material flow within the process can partially reproduced by the use of numerical simulations [3]. Some process specific characteristics need to be understood and controlled to obtain a better process design and to enable the future production of complex cross-sectional products. This paper describes the results of experimental and numerical investigations regarding the combined rolling and extrusion process. The test specimen of a visioplastic examination on an industrial scale plant [3] was examined by the use of metallography. Those results where compared to a numerical simulation of the industrial experiment. The comparison of these results where then linked to some specific characteristics of the process. The existence of a dead zone with a shape comparable to the conventional indirect extrusion process was proved. The deformation zone of the combined process was divided into four zones which can be differentiated in the experimental as well as the numerical results. General design rules were derived from this differentiation. These design rules were used to optimize the forming geometry of an industrial scale plant. Critical process forces where reduces and resulting scrap material was minimized.

Abstract: In this paper presents theoretical and experimental studies of the process of forming the cellular components. The influence on the geometric parameters of cells of different stamping mode is determined by the required number of time steps, it shows the effect of hardening.

Abstract: Plastic forming, in many cases, includes the drawing of hollow cylindrical products as the main operation. For the manufacture of such products, round blanks are used as semi-finished products. However, during the blank production from strips or tapes, their geometry causes a very significant metal loss. A very effective way to reduce metal loss is to replace round billets with square ones. The use of square blanks gives an additional increase in the height of the products. In this regard, the article investigates the drawing of a square blank into a cylindrical die. The research was carried out on the basis of the analysis of experimental work and computer modeling. According to the results of the research the rational ratios of the geometric dimensions of the tool and workpieces are found.

Abstract: Manufacturing processes have a significant impact on global energy consumptions. The recovery of materials and functions for the implementation of the Circular Economy principle needs to be focused on either, by utilizing new techniques or the rethinking of old processes to rework End-of-life (EoL) components. Previous researches have shown Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) process as a good alternate for sheet metal EoL components reuse by their reshaping. In this article, the authors aim to study the effectiveness of the SIPF processes by comparing its reshaping performance with other, more conventional forming processes. An initial deep drawing process was performed to imitate aluminum sheet metal EoL component, subsequently, different stretching-based reshaping approaches have been tested. Results revealed that SPIF outperformed conventional forming processes, as proved to be the only approach leading to new/reshaped component

Abstract: Fine blanking is a production technology of high importance especially for the automotive industry. As a procedure of sheet metal separation, it is possible to produce complex parts in a single stroke. As a difference to conventional punching, the cutting surface of fine blanked parts can often be used as a functional surface without further process steps. However, fine blanking as a forming process changes the microstructure of the metal sheet to a higher extend than cutting or machining processes. Due to this, it is of utmost importance to investigate the cause-effect-relations between the fine blanking process parameters and the resulting properties of the fine blanked part. Especially the condition of the cut surface as an important quality criterion has to be investigated. The quality characteristics of the cut surface of fine blanked parts are often subject of investigations. In addition, it would be of importance to investigate how the material properties in the shear zone are changed by the fine blanking process. This on one hand in turn can enable conclusions to be drawn about possible punch wear. If, on the other hand, hardening of the cut surface takes place as a result of fine blanking, then this could have a positive influence on the application properties of fine blanked components. Thus, an experimental fine blanking investigation of the micro hardness of the cutting surface has been made with variation of steel material and cutting temperature. It could be demonstrated that the micro hardness increases in direction towards the burr. This is independent on material and cutting temperature.

Abstract: Dissimilar laser welding of ferritic, type EN 1.4509, and austenitic, type EN 1.4307, stainless steel sheets was conducted at different energy inputs 30 and 80 J/mm and under different shield gases Ar and N and without shielding gas to evaluate the microstructure and hardness of the welded zone. The formability tests, using Erichsen principle, were carried out to determine the deformation behaviour of the dissimilar welded joints under biaxial straining. The fusion zone microstructure analysis revealed that the predominant phase structure is columnar coarse ferritic grains with slightly small content of austenite in the ferrite grain boundaries. The formability of the welded joints under Ar and N shielding gases is significantly improved, i.e., higher plasticity, compared with welded joints without shielding gas at both energy inputs.

Abstract: The increasing demand for resource-efficient production methods is driving the development of new technologies. Sheet bulk metal forming (SBMF) offers the possibility to combine sheet metal and bulk forming operations. This allows the production of complex functional components with secondary forming elements from sheet metal. Compared to other production techniques such as machining, a more efficient use of material can be achieved. Further advantages are a near net shape production and increased strain hardening. SBMF processes are limited by forming technology boundaries. These include high forming forces, incomplete mould fillings and limited surface qualities. In this research, the possibility of enhancing the material flow, improving surface quality and reducing the tool loads in SBMF-processes is investigated by using a superimposed oscillation. The focus here is on achieving a high surface quality of components produced by forming technology and an enhanced material flow during forming. For this purpose, a forming process for ironing an axial gear geometry is superimposed with an oscillation in the main force flow.

Abstract: Hybrid components produced by two or more different process technologies grant the possibility to compensate the drawbacks of the used processes. The combination of additive manufacturing (AM) and forming offers geometrical freedom in extensions of geometrical simple parts in a cost-efficient way. Unlike the combination of bulk metal forming and AM, sheet metal forming and AM is less investigated. Especially for Ti-6Al-4V, which is widely used in AM but has a low formability at room temperature, research is still needed. In this study, the formability of hybrid parts made of Ti‑6Al‑V consisting of sheet material and additively manufactured elements (AME) is investigated for a hemispherical punch geometry. Thus, a designed tool for forming of hybrid parts at elevated temperatures is used. First investigations with a specially designed stretch forming tool demonstrate the distinct influence of the additively manufactured bodies on the stretch forming process of hybrid parts made of Ti‑6Al‑4V. Namely, the achievable drawing depth is reduced for hybrid parts as the functional elements are placed in the area of highest stresses, distorting material flow.

Abstract: A new characterisation method based on free-bulge tests is proposed to find the characteristic parameters of the strainstress relation in superplastic alloys. The method is applied to experimental tests found in the literature and to new adhoc tests performed on aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys. The parameters are then compared to independent values obtained from tensile test and computer-aided simulations. The characterisation of the material is evaluated as an apparent viscosity function of the strain-rate and is extracted from the height evolution at the apex dome during the forming process. Results show a good agreement between parameter estimation using this method and independent values. Moreover, this characterisation method exposes the non-newtonian fluid behaviour of these materials during superplastic processes known as shear-thinning or pseudoplasticity.

Abstract: The main purpose of this contribution is to create a methodical procedure for numerical simulation of the forging process using FEM of a real part, which is produced in three forming operations. Then this process will be realised step by step for creation simulation model in the simulation software DEFORM 3D, where the output data will be calculated on an example forging process on real component. The obtained results are then compared with reality to determine the degree of match between simulation results and real component. The 3D models of dies for each operation as well as some input parameters were obtained from HKS Forge. This company is leading manufacturer of die forging for the engineering industry in Europe. Proposed methodical procedure can serve as a basis for creating additional simulation models that could simulate the wear of these dies during long time of use.