Incremental Profile Forming with Axial Stress Superposition

The incremental profile forming process enables the flexible forming of profiles with axially varying cross-sections. The localized complex deformation field induces large shape deviations. It is hypothesized that the shape accuracy can be improved by stress superposition. For the fundamental case of axial groove forming, several stress superposition modes are examined. Axial stress superposition is shown to be the most effective one and has been analyzed further. An axial tensile stress of the order of the initial flow stress improves the shape error from 47% to 2%. At the same time the steady-state indentation and axial forces are reduced by approx. 30-55%.