Research on forming force of flexible rolling for three-dimensional surface sheet metal parts through numerical simulation

Flexible rolling is a novel manufacturing technique for forming three-dimensional surface sheet metal parts. The working parts are two bendable rolls. The shape of each working roll can be adjustable respectively, and the gap of two rolls is controlled. The transverse curvature of the formed surface is the same as the curvature of the neutral layer of the gap. The longitudinal curvature of the formed surface is determined by non-uniform rolls gap which leads to non-uniform fiber extension. In this paper, the forming principle of the flexible rolling has been elaborated. The forming force characteristic has been analyzed. The modeling method has been described. The simulation results of the forming force have been analyzed. The forming experiment has been taken and the forming force has been tested. The correctness of the model and the simulation method has been verified. The research results show that the flexible rolling is a novel and effective method for forming three-dimensional surface sheet metal parts. The simulation method can deal with the difficulties of forming force calculation of flexible rolling effectively.