DefinePK

Abstract

Sheet metal forming is one of the major forming processes adopted for manufacturing thin walled components (thickness < 3mm) in aerospace and automotive industry. The final form and dimensions of the sheet metal components are affected by several factors such as material characteristics, thickness, bend radius, flange length, spring back, etc. Among these, spring back is considered to be the major factor affecting the bend angle on the component. Thus, to achieve the nominal bend angle, it is necessary to predict the bend angle on the form tool with due consideration given to spring back. This work proposes a relation for the bend angle on the form tool with respect to the nominal bend angle on the component for a given sheet thickness and material. The relation was verified for Al2024 alloy sheet metal components of thickness ranging between 1-2mm, and the results were found to be very encouraging.