The MFL is engaged in a wide range of scientific and applied research on many aspects of sheet metal forming to provide a basic understanding of the factors that control the formability of sheet materials into desirable components.
Our 5 guiding principles
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Potential
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Interaction
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Research
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Development
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Design
We develop understanding by selective and novel experimental investigation to characterize the forming behaviour of sheet and the interaction of sheet and tooling.
We also develop innovative die design and process development solutions to industrial stamping problems.
We establish essential linkages with industrial partners, other national and international universities and government institutions and laboratories to broaden its knowledge and experience base.
Where applicable and appropriate, we apply numerical simulations to forming problems and operations in order to:
- Gain insight into forming operations and material behaviour not achievable by any other means
- Provide a framework for application modeling in joint development programs with industrial partners
- Be actively involved in the development of numerical methods and modeling techniques that could alter the way in which forming operations are simulated numerically.
Facilities & major research areas
Facilities
MFL has a variety of facilities and experimental setups. Our facilities include, but are not
limited to the following:
- Interlaken Press
- MACRODYNE Press
- Formability Tests Equipment
- Tube Bursting System
- Strain Mapping Sy
- ARAMIS
- ARGUS
Research
Areas include:
- Sheet metal forming
- Tube forming
- Bulk forming
- Test development
- Formability tests
- Forming strain measurement
- Die design
- Finite element modelling
- Deformation modelling of materials
