Metal Sheet Ring Forming With Mandrel Clamping Against Slippage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current metal forming techniques for creating metal rings, especially those with thin walls, face challenges in achieving precise shape and size without slippage during the bending process, and existing methods often require heating or have limitations in forming rings with specific thickness and curvature radii.
Innovation Solution
A method and system involving a mandrel, clamp, and dies to bend a metal sheet into a ring shape while clamping it to prevent slippage, allowing for precise joining of end faces without heating, and enabling the formation of rings with thicknesses between 0.125 inches and 1.0 inches and minimum radius of curvature no greater than 15 inches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If roll forming is used to form thin-walled metal rings, then thin metal strips can be formed into rings, but the metal strip may slip during the bending process resulting in imprecise shape and size
Solution Approach 1:
The method applies preliminary clamping to the metal strip before and during the bending process. The clamp holds the strip against the mandrel, preventing slippage during bending. This preliminary constraint action ensures the strip remains in the correct position throughout forming, achieving precise shape and size without requiring complex real-time control mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If hot forging is used to form thick metal rings, then thick metal stock can be formed into rings, but the process requires heating the metal to high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the thermal field (heating) with a mechanical field (clamping and bending). Instead of using heat to make the metal pliable for thick sections, the method uses mechanical clamping to prevent slippage during bending at room temperature. This substitution eliminates the heating requirement while maintaining the ability to form thick metal rings with wall thicknesses from 0.125 to 1.0 inches.
3Adaptability or versatility
If repeated rolling and bending is used to form thick rings, then thick metal rods can be formed into rings, but multiple passes are required increasing manufacturing time
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp applies preliminary constraint to the entire length of the metal rod against the mandrel before the bending force is applied. This preliminary action prevents any slippage during the single-pass bending operation, allowing the entire ring to be formed in one continuous action rather than requiring multiple incremental passes. This significantly increases productivity while maintaining the capability to form thick rings.
4Strength
If welding is performed after ring formation, then the joint between opposite ends can be joined, but the ring shape may require additional expanding operations to perfect
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel provides preliminary shape definition during the bending process, ensuring the ring is formed to the exact desired geometry before welding. The clamp holds the metal strip against the mandrel's surface, which is shaped to match the final ring geometry. This preliminary shaping action eliminates the need for subsequent expanding operations to perfect the ring shape, reducing the total number of operations while maintaining joint strength through proper alignment during welding.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the precise formation of metal rings with high accuracy in size and shape, including those with complex profiles, by ensuring the metal sheet does not slip during bending, and allows for the creation of rings with specific thickness and curvature requirements without the need for heating.
Implementation Method 1
clamping a first region of the metal sheet against a mandrel
Implementation Method 2
bending the metal sheet around the mandrel to join a first end face of the metal sheet to a second end face
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a ring includes clamping a first region of a metal sheet against a mandrel, and, while the first region of the metal sheet is clamped against the mandrel, bending the metal sheet around the mandrel to join opposite end faces of the metal sheet and form the ring shaped to the mandrel. A system for manufacturing a ring from a metal sheet includes (a) a mandrel having a ring-shaped surface, (b) a clamp facing the ring-shaped surface and configured to clamp a first region of a metal sheet to the mandrel, and (c) a plurality of dies configured to bend the metal sheet around the mandrel, while the clamp clamps the first region to the mandrel, to join opposite end faces of the metal sheet and form a ring shaped to the ring-shaped surface.