Search

The massive forming industry in Germany produces around 1.4 million parts every year, which are mainly used in safety-relevant areas such as the automotive industry. The production of these parts requires a considerable amount of energy, much of which remains unused and causes high CO2 emissions. An efficient approach to reduce these emissions and improve material utilization is cross-wedge rolling, which enables efficient material utilization but is limited by the so-called Mannesmann effect, which leads to unwanted material defects. This paper describes the development and validation of a safe design criterion for cross-wedge rolling tools in order to avoid material damage caused by the Mannesmann effect and thus increase resource efficiency in forging. Based on simulation-supported investigations and experimental tests, process maps are created for various materials. The validation is carried out both in an experimental test facility with real tools and in an industrial production facility, which leads to a significant reduction in excess material and CO2 emissions. The results show that the full resource potential of cross-wedge rolling can be exploited by optimizing process parameters and tool geometries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents research work on the influence of the design characteristics of the joint partner elements and especially of grooving and pocketing on the tensile and torsional strength of tubular joints produced by hydraulic expansion when tubes are made of aluminum EN AW-6060. In general, joining of tubular elements can be performed by different methods, but internal expansion presents an interesting alternative to other methods like welding and mechanical forming processes. Commonly, hydraulic expansion is used for the manufacturing of heat exchangers. As a result, time effective and resistant joints must be produced in particular when applying hydraulic expansion in the manufacturing of lightweight structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Joining by electromagnetic forming (EMF) is an innovative method to connect, e.g. extruded aluminum profiles to lightweight frame structures without heating or penetrating the profile. This article describes the joining of extruded aluminum profiles by electromagnetic forming, taking into account the process characteristics and the joint design. Forming is initiated by a magnetic impulse of high energy density, such that material with high electrical conductivity is deformed by Lorentz forces. With this high-speed forming process high-strength joints can be manufactured as interference fits, form fits, impact welded joints or a combination of these types. The focus of this paper is on form-fit joints of extruded aluminum profiles for lightweight frame structures. Based on fundamental technological investigations the parameters which specifically affect the strength of the joints were identified and analyzed. Throughout these experiments the groove geometry was varied size and shape wise. The influence of the acting magnetic pressure and the charging energy on the joint strength was also analyzed for the various groove geometries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]