Spring-back characteristics of fiber metal laminate (GLARE) in brake forming process

The brake forming process has been considered as a feasible method for producing fiber metal laminate (GLARE) stringer. However, the spring-back developed during brake forming leads to serious problems in the final dimensional tolerance of the stringer. A series of experiments were performed to examine the effect of tool design and process parameters on the spring-back of GLARE. The parameters studied include punch radius, punch speed, forming load, and forming temperature. This paper shows that both design and process parameters can significantly affect the amount of spring-back. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also carried out for the observation of delamination or cracking in the bent zone.