Developing new, water-based lubricants for sheet metal forming. There is increasing pressure on manufacturers, including the sheet metal forming industry, to use less toxic, water-based lubricants with a number of common additives being banned or being phased out internationally. In the case of automotive manufacturers, this is combined with demand for alternative sheet materials to reduce costs or cater for export markets. Efficient development of new lubricants or replacement additives require ....Developing new, water-based lubricants for sheet metal forming. There is increasing pressure on manufacturers, including the sheet metal forming industry, to use less toxic, water-based lubricants with a number of common additives being banned or being phased out internationally. In the case of automotive manufacturers, this is combined with demand for alternative sheet materials to reduce costs or cater for export markets. Efficient development of new lubricants or replacement additives requires a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between lubricant components and the surface of the sheet metal. This project will explore and model these interactions and how they are affected by the variables in a metal forming process.Read moreRead less
Tribological contact of work roll in hot rolling. Steel and aluminium manufacturers form their products by shaping a hot metal billet using, for example, presses and rollers which contact the rapidly cooling metal in the production line. The economic benefits of lubrication, reduced rolling force (up to 25%), reduced roll wear and extended roll life (up to 40%), reduced down time due to roll change, and better strip quality are very significant for these manufacturing processes. This comprehens ....Tribological contact of work roll in hot rolling. Steel and aluminium manufacturers form their products by shaping a hot metal billet using, for example, presses and rollers which contact the rapidly cooling metal in the production line. The economic benefits of lubrication, reduced rolling force (up to 25%), reduced roll wear and extended roll life (up to 40%), reduced down time due to roll change, and better strip quality are very significant for these manufacturing processes. This comprehensive program will provide new knowledge on lubrication and roll wear to help Australian manufacturing industry (e.g. steel and aluminium) to better understand and optimise their processes to achieve maximum benefits.Read moreRead less