Apparatus for and method of manufacturing roll- formed component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11040386-B2
Application number	US-201816215761-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2018
Priority date	Dec 11, 2017
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

To a fulcrum roll unit portion in a workpiece, a corresponding initial curvature radius is applied, and to a bending roll unit portion in a workpiece, a corresponding design curvature radius is applied. To an intermediate unit portion in a workpiece, an intermediate curvature radius set so as to continuously change from the initial curvature radius to the design curvature radius is applied. At least one of the fulcrum roll and the bending roll is moved on the basis of an integrated value obtained by integrating the amount of change in bending position in each of the intermediate unit portion and the bending roll unit portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus configured to manufacture a roll-formed component with curvature changing continuously along a longitudinal direction of the roll-formed component by applying roll bending to a workpiece including an elongated sheet or an elongated extrusion material along the longitudinal direction, the apparatus comprising:
a fulcrum roll that is configured to support the workpiece during bending, or to serve as a fulcrum of bending;
a bending roll that is positioned downstream of the fulcrum roll in a bending path and is configured to apply bending to the workpiece;
an actuator that is configured to move at least one of the fulcrum roll and the bending roll so as to relatively change a position of the bending roll with reference to a position of the fulcrum roll; and
a controller,
wherein under the following conditions:
a position allowing the fulcrum roll to be brought into contact with the workpiece is set as a fulcrum roll contact position;
a position allowing the bending roll to be brought into contact with the workpiece is set as a bending roll contact position;
a design value of a curvature radius of an unit portion corresponding to each of a plurality of unit intervals along the longitudinal direction of the roll-formed component to be formed is set as a design curvature radius;
a curvature radius applied to the workpiece at the fulcrum roll contact position is set as an initial curvature radius; and
a curvature radius remaining in the workpiece when the workpiece is fed out from the bending roll contact position to achieve the design curvature radius in the roll-formed component to be formed is set as a final curvature radius,

the controller is configured to set the initial curvature radius is as a curvature radius to be applied to the workpiece before spring back occurs by applying bending to the workpiece, and
wherein under the following conditions:
a unit portion positioned at the fulcrum roll contact position at the time when the workpiece is fed to a nip between the fulcrum roll and the bending roll is set as a fulcrum roll unit portion;
a unit portion positioned at the bending roll contact position is set as a bending roll unit portion; and
a unit portion positioned between the fulcrum roll unit portion and the bending roll unit portion, corresponding to each of the unit intervals, is set as an intermediate unit portion,

the controller is configured to:
integrate an amount of change in a bending position in each of the intermediate unit portion and the bending roll unit portion when an intermediate curvature radius is applied to the intermediate unit portion, the intermediate curvature radius being set so as to continuously change a curvature of the intermediate unit portion from the initial curvature radius to the design curvature radius apply the initial curvature radius to the fulcrum roll unit portion and apply the design curvature radius to the bending roll unit portion, and
cause the actuator to be driven to move at least one of the fulcrum roll and the bending roll based on the integrated amount of change.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to set the intermediate curvature radius from a value of the initial curvature radius applied to a given unit portion at the fulcrum roll contact position, and a change in strain or bending moment when the given unit portion moves toward the bending roll contact position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to set the intermediate curvature radius based on the fact that strain or bending moment at the intermediate unit portion decreases gradually as the intermediate unit portion is moved from the fulcrum roll unit portion to the bending roll unit portion.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a curvature-radius database configured to store at least the design curvature radius and the initial curvature radius in all the unit portions of the roll-formed component to be formed,
wherein the controller is configured to calculate the integrated amount of change with reference to the curvature-radius database.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the curvature-radius database is configured to store a plurality of values as the initial curvature radius based on at least physical properties of the workpiece, and
the controller is configured to control the actuator according to the different values of the initial curvature radius.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a feeding roll positioned upstream of the fulcrum roll in the bending path and configured to feed the workpiece toward the fulcrum roll.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fulcrum roll is configured to be fixed in position and only the bending roll is configured to be moved by the actuator.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the workpiece just before being subjected to bending by the bending roll has a cross-section including a folded portion or a bent portion in its cross-sectional direction.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the roll-formed component includes a portion where at least one of width and thickness continuously changes along its longitudinal direction.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a roll unit including a pair of rolls for continuously changing at least one of width and thickness of the workpiece in its longitudinal direction.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fulcrum roll and the bending roll includes a pair of rolls.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the roll-formed component is a frame component for an aircraft.

13. A method of manufacturing a roll-formed component, including a portion with curvature continuously changing along a longitudinal direction of the roll-formed component by applying roll bending to a workpiece including an elongated sheet or an elongated extrusion material along the longitudinal direction, the method comprising:
supporting the workpiece during bending by a fulcrum roll provided upstream of the workpiece in a bending path, or allowing the fulcrum roll to serve as a fulcrum of bending;
applying bending to the workpiece by a bending roll positioned downstream of the fulcrum roll in the bending path;
moving at least one of the fulcrum roll and the bending roll so as to relatively change a position of the bending roll with reference to a position of the fulcrum roll by using an actuator;
setting a position allowing the fulcrum roll to be brought into contact with the workpiece as a fulcrum roll contact position;
setting a position allowing the bending roll to be brought into contact with the workpiece as a bending roll contact position;
setting a design value of a curvature radius of each of a plurality of unit intervals along the longitudinal direction of the roll-formed component to be formed as a design curvature radius;
setting a curvature radius applied to the workpiece at the fulcrum roll contact position as an initial curvature radius;
setting a curvature radius remaining in the workpiece when the workpiece is fed out from the bending roll contact position to achieve the design curvature radius in the roll-formed component to be formed as a final curvature radius;
setting the initial curvature radius as a curvature radius to be applied to the workpiece before spring back occurs by applying bending to the workpiece;
setting a unit portion positioned at the fulcrum roll contact position at the time when the workpiece is fed to a nip between the fulcrum roll and the bending roll as a fulcrum r

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Okada Hideki
• Honda Yoichiro
• Kasumi Yasuhiro

Classifications

• B21D5/004 Primary

  with program control · CPC title

• B21D7/12

  with program control · CPC title

• B21D7/08

  by passing between rollers or through a curved die · CPC title

• B21D5/08 Primary

  making use of forming-rollers (B21D5/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B21D5/14

  by passing between rollers (B21D5/06 takes precedence) · CPC title