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Metals
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Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies
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Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metal Casting, Forming and Heat Treatment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 11042

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yanle Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center for Sustainable Manufacturing, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Interests: incremental sheet forming; ultrasonic-assisted forming; deformation analysis; green manufacturing; remanufacturing
Prof. Dr. Xiaoqiang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: aerospace manufacturing; metal forming
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovative and flexible sheet forming processes that do not require time consuming set-up operations and/or do not impose the use of expensive conventional equipment have become a rather promising research topic. They enable the economical production of prototypes and small batch production and allow for the adaptation and modification of the product geometry with little effort.

Incremental sheet-forming (ISF) technology is an emerging sheet-forming process, during which a flat metal sheet is gradually formed into the designed 3D shape using computer numerical control (CNC)-controlled generic forming tool. The process features the benefits of reduced forming forces, enhanced formability and greater process flexibility. Recently, to further improve the formability and formed part quality, various energy-assisted forming strategies for ISF have been proposed. Although substantial research has been performed in the past decades on ISF, a research gap still exists between experimental results towards industrial requirements.

This Special Issue warmly welcomes submissions, including regular research papers, short communications, and reviews, describing current research trends and future perspectives in innovative and flexible sheet/tube forming processes. Articles that focus on the deformation mechanism, analytical modeling, finite element modeling, process optimization, microstructure control, and industrial applications remain especially of interest.

Dr. Yanle Li
Dr. Xiaoqiang Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • flexible forming processes
  • incremental sheet/tube forming
  • auxiliary energy-assisted forming
  • hybrid forming processes
  • deformation mechanism
  • analytical modeling
  • finite element modeling
  • process optimization
  • microstructure control

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 16417 KiB  
Article
Robot-Assisted Cold and Warm Incremental Sheet Forming of Aluminum Alloy 6061: A Comparative Study
by Ravi Prakash Singh, Santosh Kumar, Sarang Pande, Sachin Salunkhe, Adham E. Ragab, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Md Meraz and J. Paulo Davim
Metals 2023, 13(3), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13030568 - 11 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1761
Abstract
Incremental sheet forming (ISF) requires no or partial dies for sheet metal fabrication and is widely used for small batch production. In this process, necking is either suppressed or delayed due to the localized nature of tool–sheet contact; hence, more strains than conventional [...] Read more.
Incremental sheet forming (ISF) requires no or partial dies for sheet metal fabrication and is widely used for small batch production. In this process, necking is either suppressed or delayed due to the localized nature of tool–sheet contact; hence, more strains than conventional stamping and deep drawing are obtained. In the present study, two variations of ISF, namely cold ISF (CISF) and warm ISF (WISF), are compared. First, FEA modeling is carried out on ABAQUS to reach the forming forces involved in the process. It is found that WISF reduces the forming forces. The temperature for WISF is maintained at 180 °C. Following the simulation analysis, tests are carried out. The forming force in WISF is 55.77% less than that in CISF. The part fabricated by CISF is slightly more substantial than that by WISF; however, more forming depth can be achieved by WISF. There is a more uniform thickness distribution in the case of CISF than in WISF. However, the surface quality of the CISF product is inferior to that of WISF. It is observed that there is reduced forming force, increased formability, and better strain distribution in WISF compared to CISF. However, post-processing heat treatment and surface polishing of the formed parts is required to restore their mechanical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies)
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18 pages, 12871 KiB  
Article
Effect of Active Deflection on the Forming of Tubes Manufactured by 3D Free Bending Technology
by Hao Zhang, Ali Abd El-Aty, Jie Tao, Xunzhong Guo, Shuo Zheng and Cheng Cheng
Metals 2022, 12(10), 1621; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12101621 - 27 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1462
Abstract
The formed parts of tubes easily interfere with the equipment when forming complex tubes in 3D free bending forming technology. Consequently, to solve the interferential phenomenon, an active deflection method (ADM) to avoid interference was proposed to drive the deformed tube around its [...] Read more.
The formed parts of tubes easily interfere with the equipment when forming complex tubes in 3D free bending forming technology. Consequently, to solve the interferential phenomenon, an active deflection method (ADM) to avoid interference was proposed to drive the deformed tube around its axis by controlling the bending die. The method extended the activity freedom of the equipment without installing the additional motion shafting. However, severe section distortion, surface scratches and other forming defects frequently occurred during the implementation of ADM, which reduced the structural strength and pressure resistance of the tubes. A mechanical model was developed to analyze the force state of the tube, and the results showed that the driving force of active deflection was mainly determined by the trajectory radius. The curve of the adopted bell-shaped transition structure was closer to the bending curvature of the tube than the rounded structure, which transformed the guider and the tube from linear contact to surface contact. The simulation and experiment results indicated that adding the trajectory radius could strengthen the rotation torque. The stress concentration in the tube was alleviated after applying the bell-shaped transition structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies)
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13 pages, 6521 KiB  
Article
Experimental Research on the Thermal-Consolidation Compound Forming of Thermosetting Fiber Metal Laminates Design for Complex Structures with Variable Curvature
by Quanda Zhang, Fuzhen Sun, Rigele Ji, Zizhi Liu, Huiyu Li and Yao Wang
Metals 2022, 12(6), 935; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12060935 - 29 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1492
Abstract
The glass fiber-reinforced metal laminates (GLARE) cannot be used to form complex laminate structures in the aerospace industry, because there is substantial variation in the plasticity of the heterogeneous materials. Hence, a compound process for composite materials based on the thermoforming technology for [...] Read more.
The glass fiber-reinforced metal laminates (GLARE) cannot be used to form complex laminate structures in the aerospace industry, because there is substantial variation in the plasticity of the heterogeneous materials. Hence, a compound process for composite materials based on the thermoforming technology for aluminum alloy and fiber-reinforced metal laminates (FMLs)-forming technology was proposed; it contains solution heat treatment, thermoforming, quick cold die quenching, artificial aging integrated process (HFQ), and the thermal consolidation of fiber-reinforced metal laminates, and it is named the HFQ-FMLs forming process. In order to test and judge the effect of the heat treatment on the properties of the materials obtained by the new technology, the pure metal sheet and the three kinds of HFQ-FMLs composite laminates fabricated with the different layup method were assessed with the Vickers hardness test and the Charpy impact test at the same time, and they were labeled #1, #2, #3, #4, respectively. In the Charpy impact test, in order to obtain accurate data, the shape and fixing position of the specimen was optimized so that the gap direction was parallel to the loading direction. After the heat treatment, the properties of the aluminum alloy were improved, the hardness will affect the energy absorption of the laminates, and the relationship between the thickness, hardness and impact properties will be analyzed. The hardness test results are 39.9 HV, 37.5 HV, 37.4 HV, 37.1 HV which indicates the pure metal sheet had the greatest hardness, and the greater the thickness of fiber layer, the lower was the hardness of the HFQ-FMLs composite laminate. The impact resistance of the HFQ-FMLs composite laminates was about two times of the pure metal sheet for the same thickness, and the values are 2.3 J, 4.8 J, 4.8 J, 4.8 J, respectively. In addition, the method of laying the fiber layer had no effect on the impact resistance of the composite laminates. For the novel composite laminates subjected to different cutting processes, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) results for the incision morphology suggest that the water cutting process ensures the structural integrity of the composite laminates after the edges’ and holes’ cutting procedures, and the performance maintains continuity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies)
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15 pages, 4768 KiB  
Article
Constitutive Modeling on the Ti-6Al-4V Alloy during Air Cooling and Application
by Xiaoning Han, Junzhou Yang, Jinshan Li and Jianjun Wu
Metals 2022, 12(3), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12030513 - 17 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1577
Abstract
The flow behavior of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been investigated and modeled, with the aim of exploring the damage mechanism and distortion of a sandwich structure during the air cooling process after superplastic forming (SPF). The selected temperature range was 930–700 °C, and [...] Read more.
The flow behavior of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been investigated and modeled, with the aim of exploring the damage mechanism and distortion of a sandwich structure during the air cooling process after superplastic forming (SPF). The selected temperature range was 930–700 °C, and the strain rates were 10−2, 10−3, and 10−4/s. An Arrhenius model was employed to describe the yield stress at a strain of 0.1, and a simple generalized reduced gradient refinement was applied to optimize the parameters for a constitutive model. The mean error between the predicted and experimental flow stress was 65% and 16% before and after parameter optimization, respectively. The effects of strain on flow stress showed a linear relationship, so a strain compensation method was proposed. The modified Arrhenius model developed in this paper provided a good agreement between the predicted stresses and the experimental data. Finally, a finite element analysis (FEA) with a “UHARD” subroutine was employed, and the results indicated that the inner plate of the sandwich structure was the most vulnerable location during the air cooling process, and that the engineering strain due to a non-uniform temperature was calculated as 0.37%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies)
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19 pages, 30473 KiB  
Article
Research on the Negative Multistage Incremental Forming of Straight-Wall Parts Based on the Extrusion from the Forward and Reverse Side of the Sheet
by Guixi Cheng, Hu Zhu and Dongwon Jung
Metals 2022, 12(3), 459; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12030459 - 09 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1747
Abstract
Because the forming area involved in traditional reverse multistage incremental forming is only located inside the model, the sheet-metal thinning rate is relatively large. Particularly, the straight-wall parts with a narrow internal space cannot be formed using traditional multistage incremental forming. Therefore, a [...] Read more.
Because the forming area involved in traditional reverse multistage incremental forming is only located inside the model, the sheet-metal thinning rate is relatively large. Particularly, the straight-wall parts with a narrow internal space cannot be formed using traditional multistage incremental forming. Therefore, a negative multistage incremental forming that extrudes the sheet from the forward and the reverse side of the straight-wall part is proposed in this paper. In this method, firstly, the auxiliary surface is generated to divide the straight-wall part model into three forming regions; secondly, the first- and second-stage forming are carried out from the forward side of the straight-wall part with support, respectively; Thirdly, the third-stage forming is carried out from the forward side of the straight-wall part without support. The software system for auxiliary-surface generation, the straight-wall parts partition, each intermediate-stage-forming model, and each stage-forming toolpath generation was developed by using C++, VC++, and OpenGL library. In order to verify the feasibility of the proposed method in this paper, the forming experiments of a 1060 aluminum sheet were conducted using traditional reverse multistage forming and the proposed method in this paper, and the forming effects were compared and analyzed. The results show that compared with traditional reverse multistage incremental forming with forward-side extrusion, the multistage incremental forming method with the forward and the reverse-sided extrusion proposed in this paper can increase the area of the sheet participating in the deformation and avoid the problem of excessive thinning of sheet thickness, especially suitable for the straight-wall part model with narrow internal space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies)
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Review

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26 pages, 4733 KiB  
Review
A Review on Part Geometric Precision Improvement Strategies in Double-Sided Incremental Forming
by Sattar Ullah, Peng Xu, Xiaoqiang Li, Yanle Li, Kai Han and Dongsheng Li
Metals 2022, 12(1), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12010103 - 05 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2127
Abstract
Low geometric accuracy is one of the main limitations in double-sided incremental forming (DSIF) with a rough surface finish, long forming time, and excessive sheet thinning. The lost contact between the support tool and the sheet is considered the main reason for the [...] Read more.
Low geometric accuracy is one of the main limitations in double-sided incremental forming (DSIF) with a rough surface finish, long forming time, and excessive sheet thinning. The lost contact between the support tool and the sheet is considered the main reason for the geometric error. Researchers presented different solutions for geometric accuracy improvement, such as toolpath compensation, adaptation, material redistribution, and heat-assisted processes. Toolpath compensations strategies improve geometric precision without adding extra tooling to the setup. It relies on formulas, simulation, and algorithm-based studies to enhance the part accuracy. Toolpath adaptation improves the part accuracy by adding additional equipment such as pneumatically or spring-loaded support tools or changing the conventional toolpath sequence such as accumulative-DSIF (ADSIF) and its variants. It also includes forming multi-region parts with various arrangements. Toolpath adaptation mostly requires experimental trial-and-error experiments to adjust parameters to obtain the desired shape with precision. Material redistribution strategies are effective for high-wall-angle parts. It is the less studied area in the geometric precision context in the DSIF. The heat-assisted process mainly concentrates on hard-to-form material. It can align itself to any toolpath compensation or adaptation strategy. This work aims to provide DSIF variants and studies, which focus on improving geometric accuracy using various methodologies. It includes a brief survey of tool force requirements for different strategies, sheet thickness variation in DSIF, and support tool role on deformation and fracture mechanism. Finally, a brief discussion and future work are suggested based on the insights from several articles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Flexible Sheet Forming Technologies)
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