Numerical and Experimental Study of Parameters Affecting Metal Forming Using Rubber Pads, on Parts with Radius of Curvature

Production and preparation of many parts of the aircraftbody including wings with long length, smooth form, and large radius of curvature are amongst the most important challenges in this industry. In this paper, the effective factors in the rubber padforming method on pieces containing curvature radius, have been investigated by finite element method. The effect of variables such as curvatureradius, sheetthickness, rubber pad thickness, rubber hardness, lubrication condition, spring back phenomena have been analyzed. To validate the finite elementssimulation, the experimental results were compared. Subsequently, other above-mentioned variants were studied. The obtained results indicate that there is a close differentiation between the numerical and experimental works. Moreover, the cited parameters have different effects on part quality as discussed.