Surface and friction characterisation of rotational vibration-assisted incremental sheet forming

As a die-less manufacturing technique, the incremental sheet forming (ISF) is a flexible and potentially cost-effective process for producing small-batch or customised sheet products with complex geometries. However, some important limitations of the ISF have prevented this flexible sheet forming process to be utilised for industrial applications. These limitations include low surface finishing, unacceptable springback and inability to process hard-to-form materials at room temperature. To overcome these limitations, a new rotational vibration-assisted ISF (RV-ISF) by creating a novel rosette tool concept has been developed in the University of Sheffield. In this study, RV-ISF tests using new tools are conducted to create straight grooves and rectangular pyramids to evaluate surface quality of the parts formed by the RV-ISF process. Friction conditions between the RV-ISF tool and the deforming sheet, as well as part surface roughness and surface texture are measured and evaluated. The results provide an insight into the effect of new tool design and key parameters on the interfacial friction condition and surface quality of the new RV-ISF process.