Fundamental investigations on the material flow at combined sheet and bulk metal forming processes

The class of combined sheet and bulk metal forming (SBMF) processes denotes the forming of sheet metals with typical bulk forming operations. As a consequence, simultaneous 2D and 3D stress and strain states are present. Furthermore the local shape elements formed out of the sheet plane are in the magnitude of the sheet thickness. This paper deals with process combinations upsetting/lateral extrusion and deep drawing/upsetting. It has been shown that an insufficient mould filling is nearly inevitable using conventional tooling systems. Hence, the prospect of newly developed forming approaches will be discussed.