Investigation of springback behavior of fibre-metal laminates using equivalent-layer and separate-layer theories

At the bending process, sheet deforms plastically between tool and die to take its final shape. Deviation of final bending angle from intended angle after removing load is the most important defect which occurs in sheet metal forming processes. This phenomenon which is called springback, occurs because of elastic behavior of sheet after unloading. In order to increasing geometrical accuracy of products, the bending parameters should be chosen in such a way that the intended bending angle be obtained after unloading. In recent years, due to fuel crisis; aerospace and automotive industries trends to use lightweight materials to decrease fuel consumption. Fiber Metal Laminates are attractive materials for industries due to their suitable specifications such as high strength to weight ratio, low cost, high chemical resistance and high acoustic and vibration damping. In the present study, the springback behavior of Fiber metal laminates has been investigated by using theoretical and experimental procedures. The results of this study shows that the developed theoretical method can predict springback with mean error of 17%.