Buckling based laser forming process: Concave or convex

Concave laser forming can be readily achieved, while convex forming may occur through buckling but the buckling direction heavily depends on the sheet surface and pre-strain condition. A new laser-scanning scheme is postulated, by which convex forming can be effected insensitive to the above mentioned initial conditions. The postulate is successfully validated by experimental and numerical results. The effect of the scanning parameters on the certainty of the convex forming are further investigated experimentally and numerically. The simulation results are in agreement with experimental observations. The numerical simulation model developed is also used to study the transient temperature, stress, and strain-state and provide further insight to the convex forming process.