Evaluation of the supporting plate edge radius and position effects on springback in incremental forming, part A

Abstract

Incremental Forming IF is a suitable technique for producing complex forms. The geometry of product is quite free; on the other hand, there are limitations regarding the sheet thickness and the tools used. The material formability is affected by the product profile requirements, and the straightening of product wall is affected by the tool path. Also, the wall angle is one of most important characteristics that are limited by the sheet profile thickness. The geometry of the product determines the type of supporting tool and its complexity. The horizontal surface can be produced without supporting tool, but will result inclined. Without supporting tool, the sheet tends to bend as an alternative of stretching and the surface becomes wavy. For the present study, Aluminum (A1025) alloy sheets are used to deform a product using a supporting plate (with radius). The supporting plate is used to analyze the effect of springback during the process and for better control over the material flow. The study aims to understand the distribution of strain at the deformed part section for each step size. Also, the primary reasons for the product failure by springback and the final products have been evaluated and analyzed in details.