The Mechanics of the Flame Bending Process: Theory and Applications

Abstract

The flame bending process can be most useful in the present effort to automate the plate bending process in shipyards. To achieve this goal, the complicated thermo-elastic-plastic behavior of the plate during the process must be understood. A review of the past analytical research efforts reveals that these attempts have been restricted to beam bending. Here a theory for the thermo-elastic-plastic plate bending is developed. Furthermore, using a boundary element method as a solution technique, the difference between the mechanics of beam bending versus plate bending is shown. Recommendations for future work are given.