Influence of deformation path on the forming effect in a multistep flexible rolling process

The flexible rolling process (FRP) is a novel three-dimensional (3D) forming process that combines the multipoint and traditional rolling forming. The principle of FRP is based on thickness thinning, so the deformation path significantly impacts the forming effect. In this study, the multistep forming process with different deformation paths was introduced to improve the forming effect of FRP. For instance, with the convex surface part, three finite element models of multistep FRP (MSFRP) were established. The corresponding numerical simulations and forming experiments performed among different deformation paths showed the surface part with a longer effective forming region was obtained and the forming regions with more steps in MSFRP were smoother. Thus, the sheet-metal utilization rate was greatly improved. Moreover, the MSFRP can improve the longitudinal bending effect dramatically and thereby endowing the forming part with a better forming effect. Therefore, MSFRP is a prospective method for broad applications.