A Theoretical and Experimental Study on the Tribological Size Effect in Microforming Processes

Abstract

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.