ISF At Sheffield
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EPSRC Grants
The University of Sheffield was awarded an Adventurous Manufacturing grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in 2019. The three-year project, led by Professor Hui Long, is titled 'New tool - a breakthrough in incremental sheet forming'.
A follow-on EPSRC-funded project, titled 'Rotational Vibration Assisted Increment Sheet Forming by Novel Tooling (RV-ISF)', began in July 2022. The collaborative project is carried out by an expanded project team with complementary expertise in mechanics of materials, materials science, modelling, metal forming and machining. See the expanded project team on our 'About' page.
The Flexible Forming Research Group
Professor Hui Long leads the Flexible Forming Research Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Sheffield. The research activities of the Group are centred on developing flexible forming technologies, including metal spinning and incremental sheet forming.
Rotational vibration-assisted ISF
The Research Group has developed a new type of ISF tool to facilitate rotational vibration-assisted incremental sheet forming (RV-ISF) at elevated temperatures, without the need of additional devices or equipment or any extra energy input. RV-ISF overcomes some limitations associated with current ISF technologies.
The new ISF tool enables high amplitude and low frequency vibration-assisted ISF that creates localised material softening and heating. RV-ISF improves the ductility of the hard-to-form materials, and can therefore potentially manufacture sheet metal parts with complex geometries.
A few research projects with involvement from the University of Sheffield
ESAFORM Benchmark project
The ISF benchmark study is a collaborative initiative aimed at addressing challenges and unlocking the full potential of Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) in industrial settings. By joining forces, leading research institutes in incremental forming exchange results, knowledge, and best practices. The study aims to gain valuable insights into the process, identify areas for further research, and push the boundaries of incremental forming. The increasing interest in big data and machine learning in ISF necessitates data exchange and structured data storage. This way, the benchmark study will increase the knowledge and expertise of all 16 participating institutes.
By sharing research findings, experimental data, and insights gained from years of dedicated study, the understanding of incremental forming and its challenges are collectively expanded. This exchange will provide a collaborative environment to enhance breakthroughs and innovation.
New Test Method of Material Formability: Tension under Cyclic Bending and Compression
Published in the 2020 paper Investigating formability enhancement in double side incremental forming by developing a new test method of tension under cyclic bending and compression.
Incremental sheet forming, including single point incremental forming (SPIF) and double sided incremental forming (DSIF), has demonstrated significantly enhanced material formability compared to traditional sheet metal forming processes. However, the material deformation mechanisms that lead to the enhanced formability in DSIF were not fully understood.
In this recently completed PhD study, a new test method, TCBC, was developed to investigate four deformation modes observed in SPIF and DSIF, including tension, compression, bending and cyclic loading, on the material formability enhancement. Extensive experimental and finite element simulation studies were conducted and it was found that the existence of compression loading led to strengthened localised material plastic deformation, which contributed to the enhanced material formability and delayed fracture.
The new TCBC test method developed in this study demonstrated its potential to replace the current testing method using the SPIF and DSIF processes themselves for material formability studies.
New Material Processing Technologies for Sustainable Future
New Material Processing Technologies for Sustainable Future
Funded by the EU FP7 Marie Curie Research Staff Exchange Scheme, MatProFuture project involved four European and six Chinese institutions to participate in a comprehensive research exchange programme, led by the University of Nottingham, UK.
The project aimed to develop new and innovative material processing technologies for future generation of sustainable manufacturing. The project supported 113 experienced and early-stage researchers in exchanges and secondments between MatProFuture partner institutions.
Significant progress was made in five focused research areas: new sheet forming processes, precision forging, integrated joining and forming, novel spinning and new hydroforming processes. The University of Sheffield was a partner of this project and hosted 12 researchers and academic staff members to study and to develop collaborative research activities.
Novel Flexible Sheet Forming for High Value Manufacturing
Novel Flexible Sheet Forming for High Value Manufacturing
Funded by the EU FP7 Marie Curie Fellowships Scheme, FLEXFORM project supported an experienced researcher, Dr. Bin Lu, of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China to work with Professor Hui Long of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the University of Sheffield, UK, 2014-2016.
Bringing his knowledge and expertise in the flexible sheet metal forming technologies, Dr. Lu developed novel process concepts and bespoke prototype machines as well as dedicated tool designs to demonstrate the flexibility of the Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) based technologies.
Investigations were focused on developing ISF-WJ (ISF with Water Jet), Hybrid Spinning & ISF, Double Sided Incremental Forming (DSIF), Electrical Assisted DSIF (E-DSIF), Vibration Assisted Incremental Forming (V-ISF), and Hybrid Stretching & ISF processes to demonstrate the potential of rapid manufacturing of value-added, small batch and customised sheet metal parts.
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