The shape defects such as edge waves and center buckles may be formed in the rolled strip because rolling can easily produce non-homogenous elongation across the strip width. The main purpose of tension leveling is to remove such defects by eliminating the differences in elongation. In this paper, a new approach for the optimization of the process conditions in tension leveling is presented. The approach consists of an analytic model for the prediction of the strip curvature and the force at each roll. The accuracy of the proposed model is examined through comparison with the predictions from a finite element model.

Tension leveling is the process that removes the shape defects such as edge waves and center buckles, which may be formed in the rolled strip. The main purpose of tension leveling is to eliminate the differences in elongation in order to reduce the residual stresses. In this paper, a new approach for the optimization of the process conditions in tension leveling is presented. This new approach is an analytic model that predicts the residual stresses from the strip curvature. The prediction accuracy of the proposed model is examined through comparison with the predictions from a finite element model.

Metal flow of the beam blank during H-beam rolling was examined in order to correlate the rolling defects with the beam blank configuration. For this purpose, H-beam rolling was performed on the beam blank where stainless steel bolts were inserted as the marker at the web and flange. The positional variation of the marker was monitored at each rolling pass, and the result was compared with the 3D FEM simulation employing the point tracking function. The simulation results were reasonably agreed with the experimental within the error of 0.5~1mm on both web and flange of the H-beam. It is anticipated that the 3D FEM simulation employing the point tracking function provides the guidance information on analyzing the correlation between the rolling defects and the beam blank configuration in H-beam rolling.

One of the most efficient designs for manufacturing LNG tank is the Moss spherical type because it has been validated through precise analyses with respect to reliability and construction safety by stress analysis. The Moss spherical tank is assembled with hundreds of Al thick plate patches that are deformed to curved shape at elevated temperature and welded together. It is essential to evaluate the amount of deflection in the Al5083 thick plate when the patch is transferred from the heating chamber to the forming die since the patch has a length of 12,000 mm and a thickness of 60 mm. Based on FE analysis results, a design procedure for minimizing deflection in Al5083 thick plate during transfer using a moving carrier is demonstrated in this paper.

Microforming is a very efficient and economical technology to fabricate very small metallic parts in various applications. In order to extend the use of this forming technology for the production of microparts, the size effect, which occurs with the reduction of part size and affects the forming process significantly, must be thoroughly investigated. In this study, the tribological size effect in microforming was studied using modeling and scaled ring compression experiments. A micro-scale friction approach based on the slip-line field theory and lubricant pocket model was used to understand the friction mechanism and explain the tribological size effect. Ring compression tests were performed to analyze the interfacial friction condition from the deformation characteristics of the ring specimens. In addition, finite element analysis results were utilized to quantitatively determine the size-dependent frictional behavior of materials in various process conditions. By comparing theoretical results and experimental measurements for different size factors, the accuracy and reliability of the model were verified.

The use of roll-formed products increases every year due to its advantages, such as high production rates, reduced tooling cost and improved quality. However, till now, it is limited to part profiles with constant cross section. In recent years, the flexible roll forming process, which allows variable cross sections of profiles by adaptive roll stands, was developed. In this study, an attempt to optimize profile design for the flexible roll forming process was performed. An equation that predicts the longitudinal strain for part geometries with variable cross-sections was proposed. The relationship between geometrical parameters and the longitudinal strain was analyzed and investigations on the optimal profile design were performed. Experiments were conducted with a lab-scale roll forming machine to validate the proposed equation. The results show that the profile design method proposed in this study is feasible and parts with variable cross sections can be successfully fabricated with the flexible roll forming process.