Reducing Work Load and Increasing Dimensional Accuracy in Parts for Bending of High-Strength Steel Sheets for Automobiles

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a method suitable for increasing the dimensional accuracy in the bending of high-strength steel sheets with a small work load by controlling the amount of a punch indentation in V-bending. The optimal indentation for obtaining the desired bending angle exactly could be calculated by finite-element-method (FEM) simulation using many types of high-strength steel sheets with different material characteristics. This method is effective for reducing the work load and obtaining a small radius of curvature in bent steel sheets; thus, it is suitable for forming high-strength steel sheets, which have been used widely for the fabrication of automobiles.