Experimental study on flexible forming of sheet metal using plasma arc

In order to study the laws and mechanisms of plasma arc forming, an experimental investigation was performed with lCrl8Ni9Ti and Q235 sheet metals scanned forward and backward by moving it with respect to the stationary plasma arc. The experimental results show that the bending angle caused by plasma arc scanning is approximately in proportion to the scanning times; with the heat input increasing and the thickness of sheet metal decreasing the bending angle is sharply increased under the same scanning times. While the heat input is low, the grain in heating area is refined, and its mechanical performance is improved; with the increasing of the heat input, the residual strain-hardening in the heating area becomes reinforced, which causes the micro hardness to be increased. The plasma arc forming can also decrease the residual stresses caused in the mechanical processes, which can be of great significance in preventing rebounding.