Journal of Materials Science and Engineering A 1 (2011) 210-218

Formerly part of Journal of Materials Science and Engineering, ISSN 1934-8959

Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the

Induction of Analytical Knowledge by Considering
Material and Geometry Effects

Quang-Cherng Hsu and Chi-Thanh Tran

Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan

Received: January 08, 2011 / Accepted: January 28, 2011 / Published: July 10, 2011.

Abstract: Cold roll forming process design based on the induction of analytical knowledge by considering material and geometry
effects is proposed. The analysis engine, a finite element based program, is used to analyze various multi-stage cold roll forming
processes based on pre-defined process parameters and tooling geometry. According to the simulation result, a knowledge-acquisition
procedure based on the construction of a neural network model is organized, in which the multi layer network and back propagation
algorithm are utilized to learn the training examples from the simulation results. Materials, bending angle and flange width (F) divided
by thickness (t) have been used as the input layer; outside angle between right flange and web (Spr) and outside angle between left
flange and web (Spl) have also been used as the output layer. The study introduced Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique for
modeling the springback angle in the cold roll forming. 216 results were used as data sets to train the network from the 36 simulation
cases. The best results were obtained from No-Regularization with single hidden layer in the Spr-Spl. These ANN predicted results can
be considered within acceptable limits. The results show good agreement between the predicted and the experimental values.

Key words: Cold roll forming, process design, artificial neural network, finite element method.

1. Introduction use of the processes increases every year [1].

The use of a knowledge based system in cold roll
One of the most important processing methods in the
forming has become a topic of wide interest since the
manufacturing industry is metal forming. Cold roll
original concept [1]. Several prototype systems for
forming (CRF) is a highly useful and important forming
multi-stage process sequence design have been
technique to obtain long parts with constant
developed. In the previous developments, the design
cross-sections. It is a continuous bending operation in
rules were based on the heuristic approach and past
which flat sheet metal is plastically deformed along a
experiences. However, due to the lack of universal and
linear axis, as shown in Fig. 1. CRF is used to produce
reliable human knowledge, it is rather difficult to
various types of shapes and forms such as: channel
acquire precise design rules from human experts.
shapes (U, C, T, Z...), angles, and special forms (round,
Therefore, the induction of analytical knowledge
square, pipes…). CRF is a metal forming process which
obtained from numerical simulation results is important
is spread throughout the world and today one can find
and essential to assist the process sequence design [2].
roll-formed products in numerous applications, such as
Fig. 2 shows a framework for an expert system for a
buildings, vehicles, airplanes, furniture and domestic
cold roll forming process based on finite-element
appliances, etc.. It is a highly productive process and the
simulation and the decision making framework for the
current intelligent cold roll forming process.
Corresponding author: Quang-Cherng Hsu, Ph.D., The focus of this work is cold roll forming process
research fields: metal forming, nano-imprinting and machine
vision. E-mail: hsuqc@cc.kuas.edu.tw. design. An ANN is used to determine the effect of
 Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the Induction of Analytical Knowledge by
Considering Material and Geometry Effects
Fig. 1 Schematic of cold roll forming process [3].
material and geometry. Training data are used from
simulation of 36 cases on DYNAFORM-3D software.
Material and geometry have been used as the input
layer; the angles between flange and web of production
have been used as the output layer. The results of
system indicate an industrial cases study and
discussion/conclusions.
2. Forming Process Design of CRF
2.1 Previous Works
A number of methods have been proposed for
modeling the CRF process. Neffussi et al. [4] proposed
a kinematical approach for predicting the optimal
shape and the deformed length of a metal sheet during
CRF before the first roll stand. Brunet et al. [5, 6]
Fig. 2 Decision-making a framework for intelligent cold
roll forming.
211
developed a computer aided design system used to
analyze the complete strain history of the material and
obtain the optimization of the design roll profiles.
Duggal et al. [7] developed another computer aided
simulation program, based on deformation mechanics.
Simulation results were compared with the
experimental measurements found in the literature.
There are many ways that the flat sheet can be formed
into the desired geometry [1, 8]. An example of a
flower pattern is shown in Fig. 3 [9]. It defines the
section geometry at each forming station, beginning
with the flat sheet and progressing to the final section
geometry. Walker and Pick [10] presented a method of
describing the complex deformed geometry of the
skelp material and defined the strain state in the
deformed skelp. Wen and Pick [11] presented an
investigation of skelp edge instability in the roll
forming of ERW pipe. The model revealed the
relationship between the local axial deformation and
the mill set-up parameters. A different method of
modeling the roll forming process, an elastic–plastic
spline finite strip method [12, 13], and effects of the
forming parameters on the longitudinal edge
membrane strain [14-17]. The springback phenomenon
is especially more distinct than on milder grades [18].
2.2 Design Consideration
Roll forming process which converts material into
the desired final shape is a progressive operation in
which small amount of forming is performed at each
pass of rolls. The amount of geometry change in each
pass must be restricted so that the required bends can
be formed without elongating the material.
Material thickness, hardness, and composition all
affect the number of pass required to achieve a desired
Fig. 3 The pass flower.
212 Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the Induction of Analytical Knowledge by
Considering Material and Geometry Effects
shape. Over forming compensates for springback that
is encountered when steels having high yield strength
are formed.
2.3 Process Parameters
(1) Roll design parameters: A well design roll set
includes a well planned flower, followed by a perfect
thought out roll design and carefully developed roll
calculation. Roll design parameters and the type of
material to be roll formed must be considered
throughout the entire design process. In designing a set
of rolls, side rolls should be used sparingly since they
are more difficult to adjust properly than drive rolls;
however, some sections might be impossible to make
without assistance from side rolls. Sizing the width of a
section directly from the side has several advantages.
Driven passes have a wiping effect on all vertical legs
of a section that causes friction; whereas, side rolls
have a direct rolling effect. The cross section of the
desired shape determines where side rolls are needed.
(2) Operating parameters: The Variable Parameters
in the cold roll forming operation include power
requirement, speed, complexity of profile, number of
roll stations etc.. These parameters are determined by
the type of material, its width, thickness, coating on
material, and the accuracy required. Apart from these,
Auxiliary Operations such as Pre-punching, embossing,
curving, coiling, and cut-off also influence the
parameters of Roll Forming Operation.
2.4 Quality and Accuracy
Two areas that can affect the quality and accuracy of
a roll formed section are springback and flare.
Condition that occurs when a flat-rolled metal or alloy
is cold-worked; upon release of the forming force, the
material has a tendency to partially return to its original
shape because of the elastic recovery of the material,
which is called springback. The amount of springback
varies not only with different metal properties such as
yield and elastic modulus, but also by thickness, bend
radius and bend angle. Springback can be compensated
for in the tool design by over forming. Over forming
forms the material past its expected final shape. End
flare is the distortion that appears at the ends of a roll
formed part. The internal stresses incurred in roll
forming are much more complex than in other types of
bending. These stresses usually are higher in the edges
of the material being formed and are released when the
part is cut off. End flare can be minimized by using
proper tool design.
2.5 Roller Geometry
(1) Forming rolls: The rolls are the tools that do the
actual forming of the material as it moves through the
roll forming machine. Several factors must be
considered when designing the rolls to form a particular
part. These include the number of required passes, the
material width, the flower design, the roll design
parameters, and the roll material. Flower is the name to
the progressive section contours, starting with the flat
material and ending with the desired section profile.
(2) Flower design: The development of the flower is
the station by station overlay of progressive section
contours, starting with the flat strip width before
forming and ending with the final design of tooling for
contour roll forming. The intermediate profiles
between flat material and finished profile are graduated
at a rate that enables the section to be completed in the
fewest numbers of stations of passes without
compromising general roll forming parameters. The
two prime considerations in designing the flower are:
(1) A smooth flow of material from first to last pass and
maximum; (2) Maximum control over fixed
dimensions while roll forming.
Other factors to be considered include forming
position (a section is usually formed in an upward
position), vertical reference line with respect to number
and severity of bends, and drive line (the optimal
placement in the roll for equal top and bottom surface
speeds).
3. Theoretical Backgound
3.1 FEM as an Analysis Engine
The application of a powerful numerical simulation
 Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the Induction of Analytical Knowledge by 213
Considering Material and Geometry Effects

technology, such as the Finite-Element Method (FEM),

has become a very popular approach these days for the
following reasons: to reduce costly trials in a newly
designed die before actual forming; to improve tool and
die design to reduce production and material costs; and
to shorten lead time in bringing a new product to market
by reducing die design time. In the thesis, FEM-based
software, DYNAFORM-3D, has been used to generate Fig. 4 The CRF forming process with 6 stands.

analytical results for a cold roll forming.

The material constitutive models in
DYNAFORM-3D for elastic-plastic deformation
analysis include: rigid for top-bottom rollers,
elastic-plastic for workpiece. The finite-element
analysis is done in a series of steps. Processing steps
are often done simultaneously, and are often Fig. 5 Flower design: 15-30-45-60-75-90 degree.

transparent, in the computer. The user must intervene

in the pre-processing stage by providing data in order
to construct the geometry of the top-bottom rollers and
the workpiece, and to define the material properties.
The detail analysis results, such as the angles between
web and flange can be obtained. Hence,
Fig. 6 Flower design: 20-35-50-65-80-90 degree.
DNAFORM-3D, as an analysis engine, can provide
information of workpiece, such as profile defects:
Springback. A symmetrical U-channel is formed by a
process divided six stands. On each roller, the bending
angle increase along the forming direction. The roll
forming process, as shown in Fig. 4, consists of three
types for U profile: Fig. 7 Flower design: 25-40-55-70-85-90 degree.
(1) Bending angles: 15-30-45-60-75-90 degree, as
shown in Fig. 5; Table 1 Dimension of workpiece.

(2) Bending angles: 20-35-50-65-80-90 degree, as Thickness (mm) Length (mm) Width (mm)
0.56 400 62.02
shown in Fig. 6;
0.56 400 82.02
(3) Bending angles: 25-40-55-70-85-90 degree, as 0.56 400 112.02
shown in Fig. 7. The dimension of the sheet is listed in 0.58 400 62.05
Table 1. 0.58 400 82.05
0.58 400 112.05
Material data used in the experiment. After that, they
0.98 400 62.68
will import into material data of DYNAFORM-3D. In 0.98 400 82.68
the thesis, it used four material types: Aluminum, Soft 0.98 400 112.68
Steel, Stainless Steel, and High Strength Steel. 1.01 400 62.73
Angle Velocity of Top-Bottom Rollers is defined by 1.01 400 82.73
1.01 400 112.73
an angular velocity and fixed center axis of rollers. In
214 Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the Induction of Analytical Knowledge by
Considering Material and Geometry Effects

the thesis, angular velocity of rollers is 80 rad/sec for Error (RMSE) and defined as follows:
0 .5
two roller pairs (Figs. 3 and 4) and 40 rad/sec for ⎛
( )∑ P ⎞
n 2
RMSE = ⎜ 1 −m ⎟ (3)
different rollers. Object interface defines what rollers ⎜ n j j ⎟
⎝ j =1 ⎠
and workpiece can contact with each other. The contact In addition, the absolute fraction of variance (R2)
relation parameter is used to set the Master/Slave and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) are
relationship between rollers and workpiece. In this defined, respectively, as follows:
thesis, the friction coefficient at the interface between ⎛
(P j )2 ⎞⎟
n
⎜ ∑ − m j
rollers and workpiece was set to be 0.125 (friction type: ⎜ j =1 ⎟
R2 =1− ⎜ ⎟ (4)
(m j )
n
Forming surface to surface). ⎜ ∑ 2 ⎟
⎜ ⎟
The sheets material used in the experiments were: ⎝ j =1 ⎠
1 n ⎛ pj −m ⎞
Aluminum, Soft Steel, Stainless Steel, and High MAPE = ∑ ⎜ j
⎟ ⋅ 100
(5)
n j =1 ⎜ mj ⎟
Strength Steel. The flow stress of strip material was ⎝ ⎠
modeled using Krupkowsky’s law where p is the predicted value, m is the measured value,
σ = Kε n
(1) n is the pattern number. The error formulas will help to
where σ is true stress, ε is true strain, K is the hardening find best process of the training data of ANN.
coefficient, and n is the hardening exponent. The The used ANN structure of a multi-layer is shown in
material data for the current study is listed in Table 2, Fig. 8. It consists of seven input layers, one or more
where E is Young’s modulus and ν is Poisson’s ratio. hidden layers and two output layer. The trained
examples of the current study are numerical results
3.2 ANN as an Induction Tool
performed by the FEM simulation. An ANN model
An ANN is an information processing paradigm that used to predict springback angle between flanges and
is inspired by the way biological nervous systems, such webs in the cold roll forming. Inputs for the network
as the brain, process information. The key element of are F/t, K, n, E, ν bend angles (first angle, second
this paradigm is the novel structure of the information angle). The outputs are outside angle between right
processing system. It is composed of a large number of flange and web (Spr), outside angle between left flange
highly interconnected processing elements (neurones) and web (Spl). There are 36 simulation cases in total by
working in unison to solve specific problems. In the considering four materials, three flange widths and
ANN training data, Regularization algorithm (Vnew) three flower design patterns.
and No-Regularization (Vold) algorithm were adopted.
4. Results and Discussion
The relation between Vnew and Vold is described as:
Vnew = (Vold − μ ) / (Kσ ) (2) 4.1 Determination of Springback of U Channel
where Vold is initial values of in-output, μ is Average, σ Springback angle when unloading is defined as the
is Stdevp, K = 2.81. These algorithms adjust the difference part’s angle before and after unloading, as
weights to reduce the error between the measured value shown in Fig. 9.
and the prediction value of outputs of the ANN training
4.2 Angle between Flange and Web
data. The error is described by the Root Mean Square
In the 36 cases, each case has six stands and six pair
Table 2 Material data for the current study.
first-second angle (from stand No. 1 to 6), as shown in
Name E (MPa) ν K (MPa) n
Aluminum 55,548 0.35 177 0.078 Fig. 10. Angles between flange and web were
Soft steel 191,511 0.28 648 0.22 represented by outside angle between right flange and
Stainless steel 135,266 0.30 677 0.205 web (Spr) and outside angle between left flange and
High strength steel 141509 0.28 674 0.197 web (Spl), as shown in Fig. 11.
 Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the Induction of Analytical Knowledge by 215
Considering Material and Geometry Effects

Fig. 10 Six pair first-second angle in the CRF with six

stands.

Fig. 8 The used ANN architecture.

Fig. 11 Location of Spr and Spl in the blank.

4.3 Effect of Material and Geometry

Figs. 12 and 13 show the springback values during

CRF processes for the right side and left side of flanges
after the 36 cases of DYNAFORM simulation,
respectively, which show the similar trend for both
Fig. 9 Sketch of springback variable. sides due to the flange lengths of both sides are the

Fig. 12 Effect of material and geometry on springback of the right flange.

Fig. 13 Effect of material and geometry on springback of the left flange.

216 Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the Induction of Analytical Knowledge by
Considering Material and Geometry Effects

same. However, if the blank has wider flange or bigger respectively in the stand No. 4 to 9. Material constants
bending angle of the first stand, the springback will be are K = 673.814 MPa, n = 0.197, E = 141509 MPa and
larger. There is no uniform trend for springback in Figs. ν = 0.28. Fig. 17 shows the comparison of experiment
12 and 13 due to it’s complicate elastic-plastic and simulation. The maximum and minimum bias
behaviour and different blank geometry. However, the between experiment and simulation are 2.495 degree
measured and ANN predicted training data results of at F = 5.5 mm, bending angle 90 degree for Spr and
Spr and Spl are depicted in Fig. 14 which shows good 0.008 degree at F = 5.5 mm, bending angle 70 degree
agreement among them. Fig. 15 depicts the effect of the for Spl, respectively.
hidden layer number on the RMSE-R^2-MAPE for Spr
5. Conclusions
and Spl. The best result is with single hidden layer and
No-Regularization. The thesis introduced ANNs technique for modeling
the springback angle in the cold roll forming. It used
4.4 Comparison of Experiment and Simulation
216 results as data sets to train the network from the
The product dimension is shown in Fig. 16a, where simulation 36 cases. The best results were obtained
the length is 600 mm. The design pass flower is from No-Regularization with single hidden in the
depicted in Fig. 16b which contains 9 stands where the Spr-Spl. For best training data, root mean square error
bending angles are 40, 70, 90, 17, 31, 44, 57, 68 and 76. (RMSE), the absolute faction of variance (R2) and
In Fig. 16a, right flange width and left flange width are mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were found
5.5 mm in the stand No. 1, 2 and 3; right flange width respectively to be 0.900983996%, 0.999777539%,
and left flange width are 38 mm and 40 mm 2.089021798% in the Spr, and 0.914537801%, R^2 is
Measured Predicted Measured Predicted

100 100

90 90

80 80

70 70

60 60
Spl
Spr

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10

0 0
15
75
50
25
85
45
20
80
55
15
75
50
25
85
45
20
80
55
15
75
50
25
85
45
20
80
55
15
15
75
50
25
85
45
20
80
55
15
75
50
25
85
45
20
80
55
15
75
50
25
85
45
20
80
55
15

Bending Angle Bending Angle

(a) (b)
Fig. 14 Measured and ANN predicted training data results of Spr (a) and Spl (b).

RMSE R^2 MAPE RMSE R^2 MAPE

3.5 3
3 2.5
2.5
Valu e o f Erro r

Valu e o f Erro r

2
2
1.5
1.5
1
1
0.5 0.5

0 0
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
Number of Hidden Layer Number of Hidden Layer

(a) (b)
Fig. 15 Effect of the hidden layer number on the RMSE-R^2-MAPE for Spr (a) and Spl (b).
 Cold Roll Forming Process Design Based on the Induction of Analytical Knowledge by 217
Considering Material and Geometry Effects

9
8
7
6

4
32
7 8 1

(a) (b)

Fig. 16 The verified example: (a) the product geometry and dimension; (b) the pass flower.

Experiment Simulation Experiment Simulation

100 100
90 90
80 80
70 70

Spl Values
Spr Values

60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
40 70 90 17 31 44 57 68 76 40 70 90 17 31 44 57 68 76
Bending Angle Values Bending Angle Values

(a) (b)
Fig. 17 The values of experiment and simulation Spr (a) and Spl (b) Spl values of experiment and simulation.

0.999771309%, 2.083336233% in the Spl. So, these
ANN predicted results can be considered within
acceptable limits. The best results show good
agreement between predicted and measured values.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial
support by National Science Council under grand No.
NSC 97-2622-E-151-002-CC3 and the useful
discussion from Cherng-Chi Machinery Company.
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