Experimental Study of High-Frequency Vibration Assisted Micro/Mesoscale Forming of Metallic Materials

Micro/mesoscale forming is a promising technology for mass production of miniature metallic parts. However, fabrication of micro/mesoscale features leads to challenges due to the friction increase at the interface and tool wear from highly localized stress. In this study, the use of high-frequency vibration for potential application in micro/mesoscale forming has been investigated. A versatile experimental setup based on a magnetostrictive (Terfenol-D) actuator was built. Vibration assisted micro/mesoscale upsetting, pin extrusion and cup extrusion were conducted to understand the effects of workpiece size, excitation frequency, and the contact condition. Results showed a change in load reduction behavior that was dependent on the excitation frequency and the contact condition. The load reduction exhibited in this study can be explained by a combination of stress superposition and friction reduction. It was found that a higher excitation frequency and a less complicated die-specimen interface were more likely to result in a friction reduction by high-frequency vibration