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Conventional sheet metal forming operations require component-specific and costly tooling, and their design and fabrication add to the lead time. Incremental forming is one of the technologies that has emerged as an alternative to the conventional sheet-metal forming processes for mass customization, where the necessary part is obtained by gradually tracing its contours on a sheet of required thickness using stepwise tool indents. In this investigation, stainless steel AISI 304 sheets were incrementally formed using a hemispherical tool under varying step depths, spindle speeds and horizontal feeds. The limit of formability and thickness distribution of the formed sheet were characterized. The microstructure of the formed specimens was studied using an optical microscope.

Energy conservation and management have become critical industrial activities, since energy expenses account for a significant portion of production costs. This proactive strategy has had an effect on worldwide energy consumption trends. Integration of thermal barrier coatings into engine design is necessary to solve efficiency concerns, and this coating technology has the potential to increase engine power while lowering specific fuel consumption. In a similar line, biodiesel has been presented as a possible substitute to diesel since it is nontoxic and sourced from renewable energy sources. The present study aims to enhance the performance of a diesel engine via the use of a thermal barrier-coated piston that works on biodiesel mixes. Due to its outstanding thermal insulation qualities, yttria-stabilized zirconia is the preferred material for thermal barrier coatings. Brake thermal efficiency for B20E15 is about 4% better than diesel and for B20E05 and B20E15 is about 4.6% and 13.5% less fuel consumption. CO and HC emissions were reduced by 6% to 8% on average with the B20 blends. Biodiesel blends were compared to pure diesel in terms of performance and emissions, and the blend ratio was improved using a design of experiment tool.

Low carbon steel sheets are used invariably in automobile body panels and construction structural applications. Conventional forming techniques require forming dies and heavy duty presses to make required shapes, which are costly in manufacturing. Incremental forming is a recently developing die less sheet metal part production technique in which the necessary part is obtained by gradually tracing its contours on a sheet of required thickness using stepwise tool indents. In this investigation, Low carbon steel sheets of different thicknesses were incrementally formed using a hemispherical tool under varying step depths. The final thickness of the sheet, forming angle, roughness and microhardness of the formed shapes were characterized. The microstructure of the formed materials was studied using optical microscope.

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