Experimental study and finite element analysis of laser beam formed steel for enhanced structural integrity

Abstract: Forming is a flexible manufacturing process by which a variety of different shapes can be produced through mechanical, thermo-mechanical or thermal processes. In particular, laser forming is an innovative technique that employs a defocused laser beam to form sheet metal instead of the conventional approach of using external forces. It is also referred to as the manufacturing process by which the size or shape of a part is changed by the application of forces or heat, or both - thereby inducing stresses in part. There has been a considerable amount of work on laser forming to date. However, due to the presence of a vast number of process variables and the wide variety of materials that can be laser formed, there is a need for an even better understanding of the process. Furthermore, the theoretical, experimental and numerical research to date on laser forming has primarily focused on the investigation of the effect of process parameters on the bending of sheet materials at an angle. To advance the laser forming process further for practical forming applications and to compete with the conventional forming methods, the author has investigated both experimentally and numerically the laser forming of several bend angles, resulting in curved profiles of the sheet metal component. This is currently a gap in the literature and has remained largely unexplored. The work presented in this thesis primarily focuses on the process of laser forming of sheet metal by using a high laser beam power as the heat source. The overall aim being the investigation of structural integrity of the processed material. This work is...D.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering