Effect of scan velocity on resulting curvatures during laser beam bending of AISI 1008 steel plates

Forming is a flexible process, by which a variety of different shapes can be produced through mechanical, thermo-mechanical, or thermal [Laser Beam Forming] process. Laser beam forming [LBF] process has been successfully applied to a variety of sheet metal components thereby plastically deforming it. This paper investigates the producing effect of scan velocity on the resulting curvatures and resulting properties of the bent components. The results show that three different curvatures (120, 180 and 240 mm) of 4 mm AISI 1008 low carbon steel plate was successfully produced under an optimized set of process parameters and a direct relationship was observed between the scan velocity and the resulting curvatures. Furthermore, microstructural characterization revealed that the grain structures of the irradiated surfaces are refined with cooling than the bottom due to the nucleation rate of new grains formed at the irradiated surface.