DETERMINATION OF PRESS BRAKE BENDING PARAMETERS FOR HARDOX 400 STEEL

Abstract

In the present study, a specific hydraulic press brake based test setup (HPBTS) was designed and manufactured which was used to determine the bending forces and the punch displacements of Hardox 400 steel depending on the plate thickness, plate length and mechanical properties. The setup was equipped with an image processing system to detect the change of the bending angle during forming. Prior to bending tests, tensile tests were carried out and the identified mechanical properties were compared with the ones reported by the manufacturers. The effect of the difference between the mechanical properties on the bending parameters was investigated. Air bending technique was used for bending tests. Experiments were carried out with varying plate thicknesses, plate lengths, bending angles, forming speeds and channel openings using flat materials supplied from two different manufacturers. The effect of these parameters on bending force, displacement and springback angle was revealed. It was shown that the mechanical properties of Hardox 400 steel vary according to the manufacturer. The difference between the measured mechanical properties and the ones obtained from the manufacturers had a direct influence on the bending properties.