Abstract: In-plane bending of a strip metal under unequal compressing can be developed into an advanced precision forming process with good flexibility for size changes, high efficiency, low consumption, and high forming limit. However, it appears that there has not been sufficient research of the process, and the process is a new area to be developed within China. For the process conducted with two conical rollers, the rigid-plastic finite element numerical model is established and some key technology problems related to the simulation are solved. And then the corresponding FEM simulation software system is developed. Experiments carried out show that the developed simulation system is reliable. So it provides an effective and advanced approach to further and systematically studying the deformation mechanism and forming laws of the process.

Key words: Conical rollers, FEM, In-plane bending, Strip metal, Technology of plasticity, Unequal compressing