Multi-point flexible straightening process by reciprocating bending for metal profiles

A multi-point flexible straightening process characterized by reciprocating bending is proposed.Specifically,the process is analyzed in terms of deformation mechanism and verified by numerical simulations and physical experiments of the straightening of a series of metal profiles with different materials and initial shapes.Further,the relationship between the bending radius and the times of reciprocating bending required to unify the curvature is discussed,and the distribution of residual stress after straightening is analyzed.The results show that the reciprocating bending process can eliminate the difference of the initial curvature,make the curvature of each section tend to be uniform;the times of reciprocating bending to reach the uniform curvature decreases with the decrease of bending radius.The straightness of the straightened profile obtained from the experiment and simulation is less than 0.2%,demonstrating a good feasibility of this method.

Principle of Multi-roller Straightening Process and Quantitative Resolutions of Straightening Strategies

The multi-roller straightening process of section steel is analyzed by the springback theory of small curva- ture plane bending. The theoretical analysis results prove the curvature unification in straightening process and clear- ly reveal the principle of the multi-roller straightening process. The principle can be described as~ the initial curva- tures are reduced by several times anti-bendingl meanwhile the initial curvature differences are diminished and the residual curvatures are unified~ finally, the member after curvature unification is straightened by the last anti-ben- ding. With the plastic region ratios becoming larger, the initial curvatures are more easily unified in straightening process. Based on the plastic region ratios and the required number of roller systems for unifying the initial curva- tures, the large deformation straightening strategy and the small deformation straightening strategy are redefined. The new definition provides an important theoretical basis for setting reliable reduction rules. Through the theoretical analysis results, a new straightener design philosophy is proposed to improve the straightening quality and further increase the adjustment precision as well as the flexibility of the last roller system. The adjustable end roller emerges as the times required, achieving a good effect in practical application.