Numerical analysis of the flexible roll forming of an automotive component from high strength steel

IDDRG2016 conference on "Challenges in Forming High-Strength Sheets".

Abeyrathna, B.^1 ; Abvabi, A.^2 ; Rolfe, B.^3 ; Taube, R.^2 ; Weiss, M.^1

Deakin University, Institute for Frontier Materials, Waum Ponds, Pigdons Rd., Geelong

VIC

3216, Australia^1

Ford Motor Company of Australia Ltd, 1735 Sydney Rd, Campbellfield

VIC

3061, Australia^2

Deakin University, School of Engineering, Waum Ponds, Pigdons Rd., Geelong

VIC

3216, Australia^3

关键词: Automotive component;    Commercial software;    Complex shapes;    Flexible roll forming;    Strain distributions;    Tensile elongation;    Ultra high strength steel;    Variable cross section;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/159/1/012005/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1757-899X/159/1/012005

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Conventional roll forming is limited to components with uniform cross-section; the recently developed flexible roll forming (FRF) process can be used to form components which vary in both width and depth. It has been suggested that this process can be used to manufacture automotive components from Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS) which has limited tensile elongation. In the flexible roll forming process, the pre-cut blank is fed through a set of rolls; some rolls are computer-numerically controlled (CNC) to follow the 3D contours of the part and hence parts with a variable cross-section can be produced. This paper introduces a new flexible roll forming technique which can be used to form a complex shape with the minimum tooling requirements. In this method, the pre-cut blank is held between two dies and the whole system moves back and forth past CNC forming rolls. The forming roll changes its angle and position in each pass to incrementally form the part. In this work, the process is simulated using the commercial software package Copra FEA. The distribution of total strain and final part quality are investigated as well as related shape defects observed in the process. Different tooling concepts are used to improve the strain distribution and hence the part quality.