History of plasticity and metal forming analysis

The research history of mechanics, physics and metallurgy of plastic deformation, and the development of metal forming analysis are reviewed. The experimental observations of plastic deformation and metal forming started in France by Coulomb and Tresca. In the early 20th century, fundamental investigation into plasticity flourished in Germany under the leadership of Prandtl, but many researchers moved out to the USA and UK when Hitler came in power. In the second half of the 20th century, some analyzing methods of metal forming processes were developed and installed onto computers as software, and they are effectively used all over the world.