Design Approach for Roll Forming of Profiles with Integrated Electrical Conductors

Abstract

In metal forming a trend is observed towards increasing the performance of products by means of functional integration. One approach being pursued is the integration of electronic components. Multifunctional profiles with electrical conductors can transmit data and energy in addition to the mechanical function. They can be produced efficiently by roll forming. During the roll forming of multifunctional profiles wrinkles and cracks in the conductors may occur in the area of the contact of the rollers due to the contact normal stresses. In this paper, a design approach for multifunctional profiles preventing these failures in the tool contact area is presented and discussed on the basis of experimental and numerical investigations.