PressingForming limits a b s t r a c tThe deformation mechanism of incremental sheet forming (ISF) is examined experimentally through forming specially prepared copper sheets. Strain distributions through the thickness of the sheets are measured for two configurations of ISF: two-point incremental forming (TPIF) and single-point incremental forming (SPIF), and a comparison is made to pressing. The measurements show that the deformation mechanisms of both SPIF and TPIF are stretching and shear in the plane perpendicular to the tool direction, with shear in the plane parallel to the tool direction. Strain components increase on successive laps, and the most significant component of strain is shear parallel to the tool direction. Increasing stretching and shear perpendicular to the tool direction account for differences between the sine law prediction and measured wall thickness for both SPIF and TPIF. The observed mechanisms of SPIF and TPIF differ from a mechanism of pure shear that has previously been assumed.

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This paper presents a first investigation of the applicability of incremental sheet forming (ISF) to sandwich panels. Two initial tests on various sandwich panel designs established that sandwich panels which are ductile and incompressible are the most suitable for the process. Further tests on a sandwich panel with mild steel face plates and a continuous polypropylene core demonstrated that patterns of deformation and tool forces followed similar trends to a sheet metal. It is concluded that, where mechanically feasible, ISF can be applied to sandwich panels using existing knowledge of sheet metals with the expectation of achieving similar economic benefits. Potentially this will increase the range of applications for which sandwich panels are viable.

A new incremental sheet forming machine has been built in Cambridge and was commissioned in October 2004. The basis for the machine design is described, including estimates of tool forces, the need for access to the reverse side of the workpiece, and the need to cope with high horizontal loads at the tool tip. The tool-mounting has been designed to rotate freely but passively, and to allow for simple exchange of tool tips. The workpiece is mounted on a set of load cells providing a six degree of freedom constraint without moment loading of the cells. The initial operation of the machine is briefly described.

Abstract. Welding remains an attractive fabrication method for aero-engine assemblies, offering high production rates and reduced total cost, particularly for large complex assemblies. However, distortion generated during the welding process continues to provide a major challenge in terms of the control of geometric tolerances and residual stress. The welding distortion is influenced by the sequence and position of joints, the clamping configuration and the design of the assembly. For large complex assemblies the range of these options may be large. Hence the use of numerical simulation at an early stage of the product development process is valuable to enable a wide range of these factors to be explored with the aim of minimising welding distortions before production commences, and thereby reducing the product development time. In this paper, a new technique for simulation of welding distortions based on a shrinkage analysis is evaluated for an aero-engine assembly. The shrinkage simulations were built and solved using the ESI Group software Weld Planner. The rapid simulation speed enabled a wide range of welding plans to be explored, leading to recommendations for the fabrication process. The sensitivity of the model to mesh size and material properties is reported. The results of the shrinkage analysis were found to be similar to those of a transient analysis generated using ESI Group software SysWeld. The solution times were found to be significantly lower for the shrinkage analysis than the transient analysis. Hence it has been demonstrated that shrinkage analysis is a valuable tool for exploring the fabrication process of a welded assembly at an early stage of the product development process.