Fundamentals of the Incremental Profile Forming

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Noomane Ben Khalifa
• Subject Area: Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 266723662

In view of global shortage of resources, new manufacturing technologies for fabrication of load-adapted lightweight profiles are becoming increasingly important. For this reason, the Incremental Profile Forming (IPF) was developed, which allows the fabrication of profiles with varying (load-adapted) cross-section geometries along the longitudinal axis. Due to the novelty of this forming method, currently, a fundamental process understanding is nonexistent. For an effective application of the method the development of the physical bases is an essential part of this research project. Initially, the mechanisms of the process shall be determined in the frame of experimental and numerical investigations. Furthermore, the influence of different process parameters on the forming behavior shall be analyzed and corresponding process windows defined. The findings will be complemented and supported by analytical approaches. Especially the analytical models for predicting the profile geometries as well as the forming forces will be developed. In order to reduce process forces and to extend the forming limits of the IPF process, the friction behavior shall be modified by the use of superimposed oscillation in the next step. Beside the development of the tool with an integrated oscillation unit, the research work will further focus on the model-based description of the incremental forming process with superimposed oscillation.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants