Philipp Hildenbrand

Manufacturing of functional elements by sheet-bulk metal forming processes

Due to increasing economic and ecological restrictions, conventional sheet and bulk forming operations often reach their limits with regard to part weight and functional integration. One solution to meet those challenges is provided by sheet-bulk metal forming (SBMF) processes. SBMF is defined as the application of bulk forming operations on sheet metal. SBMF can be combined with conventional sheet forming operations and offers the opportunity to form highly functional integrated parts out of sheet metal. It contains the benefit of an optimization of the part weight and a shortening of the process chain. Recent research has found different solutions regarding the actual implementation of SBMF in several process variants. In this paper, a categorisation for functional elements on sheet metal parts is proposed. A selection of possible approaches for their manufacturing is presented. The process variants are compared by means of the main process characteristics. By these means, the choice of a suitable option shall be facilitated for practical manufacturing design and for a particular relevant product.

Flexible Rolling of Process Adapted Semi-Finished Parts and its Application in a Sheet-Bulk Metal Forming Process

By applying bulk forming processes on sheet metals, thin-walled functional components with locally restricted wall thickness variations can be manufactured by forming operations. Using tailored blanks with a modified sheet thickness gradient instead of conventional blanks, an efficient controlling of the material flow can be achieved. One possible process to manufacture these semi-finished parts is a flexible rolling process. Based on an established process strategy new results for steels of differing strength and work-hardening behavior are presented in this paper. The influences of each material on the resulting process forces and blank properties regarding the same target geometry are discussed. The tailored blanks are hereby analyzed by their geometrical dimensions, like sheet thickness, and their mechanical properties, e.g. hardness distribution. Additionally, the possibilities of processing these tailored blanks in a deep-drawing and upsetting process are presented with a hereby focus on the residual formability of the tailored blanks.

New Process Strategies to Manufacture Tailored Blanks out of DP600 by Orbital Forming

The application of bulk forming operations on sheet metal enables the manufacture of functional components with local wall thickness variations. Using process adapted semi-finished parts with a local material pre-distribution and strain hardening in these processes leads to an increased forming of the functional components. In addition material efficiency is improved. Transferring the positive results acquired with mild deep-drawing steel to high-strength steel tailored blanks enables new possibilities for lightweight design. Given challenges in the manufacture of tailored blanks out of DP600 that reach the same geometry as the ones made of mild deep-drawing steel will be presented in this paper. Furthermore possible ways to overcome them by means of adjusted orbital forming will be presented.

Data-driven model development for quality prediction in forming technology

In this investigation data recorded from a flexible rolling process is processed by data driven methods to develop a quality prediction model for manufactured blanks. A concept for an incremental prediction method is proposed, which takes into account the specific character of the discrete manufacturing process. The method is evaluated based on a data set of process and quality data provided by a test rig. By the example of a specific quality parameter the effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed. A precise quality prediction model is developed, which predicts the quality value with a high accuracy.

A New Strategy for Manufacturing Tailored Blanks by a Flexible Rolling Process

Applying bulk forming processes on sheet metals enables the manufacturing of functional components with local wall thickness distributions. Using tailored blanks improves the forming of the functional components and increases the material efficiency. One process for manufacturing tailored blanks with defined sheet thickness distributions is a flexible rolling process. However, this process requires a complex process strategy. Additionally, tailored blanks out of high-strength steels from this process have failed in subsequent forming. Thus, a new rolling concept with a defined shaping of the material into a die cavity has been developed. This new concept requires the development of a new process strategy. In this paper, the general qualification and first results of the new concept are presented.

Ductile Damage and Fatigue Behavior of Semi-Finished Tailored Blanks for Sheet-Bulk Metal Forming Processes

To produce parts from sheet metal with thickened functional elements, bulk forming operations can be employed. For this new process class, the term sheet-bulk metal forming has been established recently. Since sheet-bulk metal forming processes such as orbital forming generates triaxial stress and strain states, ductile damage is induced in the form of voids in the microstructure. Typical parts will experience cyclic loads during service, and thus, the influence of ductile damage on the fatigue life of parts manufactured by orbital forming is of interest. Both the formation and growth of voids were characterized following this forming process and then compared to the as-received condition of the ferritic deep drawing steel DC04 chosen for this study. Subsequent to the forming operation, the specimens were fatigued and the evolution of ductile damage and the rearrangement of the dislocation networks occurring during cyclic loading were determined. It was shown, that despite an increased ductile damage due to the forming process, the induced strain hardening has a positive effect on the fatigue life of the material. However, by analyzing the fatigued specimens a development of the ductile damage by an increasing number of voids and a change in the void shape were detected.

Data-based control of a multi-step forming process

The fourth industrial revolution represents a new stage in the organization and management of the entire value chain. However, concerning the field of forming technology, the fourth industrial revolution has only arrived gradually until now. In order to make a valuable contribution to the digital factory the controlling of a multistage forming process was investigated. Within the framework of the investigation, an abstracted and transferable model is used to outline which data have to be collected, how an interface between the different forming machines can be designed tangible and which control tasks must be fulfilled. The goal of this investigation was to control the subsequent process step based on the data recorded in the first step. The investigated process chain links various metal forming processes, which are typical elements of a multi-step forming process. Data recorded in the first step of the process chain is analyzed and processed for an improved process control of the subsequent process. On the basis of the gained scientific knowledge, it is possible to make forming operations more robust and at the same time more flexible, and thus create the fundament for linking various production processes in an efficient way.