Material and technological developments in sheet metal forming with special regards to the needs of the automotive industry

摘要

Purpose: Of this paper is to give a general overview about the recent developments in sheet metal forming, with special regards to the needs of automotive industry as the main driving force behind these developments. Design/methodology/approach: First a general overview of material developments concerning the sheet metal forming will be given including the latest results on material developments concerning the recent results in advanced high strength steels, as well as in light metals as the main target materials in weight reduction, then reviewing some process developments in sheet metal forming. Findings: Some research results achieved with these materials in a national project concerning their formability and some innovative new forming methods particularly applied for these advanced materials will also be introduced. Research limitations/implications: Further researches with these advanced materials exploring they formability limits and most potential application fields in car manufacturing. Practical implications: The findings and results will contribute to reduce the harmful emissions by automobiles and as an overall consequence it will also contribute to the increase of global competitiveness of car manufacturing. Originality/value: A very concise general overview of recent material and process developments providing a good theoretical and practical knowledge for those involved in sheet metal forming.