Keynote Speaker I |
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| Keynote Speaker: Prof. Kuniaki Dohda (Northwestern University, USA) | Keynote Title: Tribological Issues in Metal Forming Processing |
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Keynote Abstract: Metal forming is a core part of modern manufacturing, enabling the efficient production of high-performance components for industries such as automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics, and construction. Despite significant progress in forming technologies, tribological phenomena at the interface between tools and workpieces remain among the most critical factors affecting process stability, product quality, tool life, energy consumption, and manufacturing sustainability. Friction, wear, lubrication, adhesion, galling, and surface damage directly influence material flow, dimensional accuracy, forming forces, and production costs, making tribology an essential field for improving metal-forming processes. This keynote will review the main tribological challenges in metal-forming technologies and highlight recent advances in tribology for metal forming. By linking fundamental tribology with practical industrial applications, this presentation aims to provide researchers, engineers, and manufacturing professionals with insights into emerging opportunities to enhance metal-forming operations. |
Keynote Speaker II |
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| Keynote Speaker: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. P. Groche (Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany) | Keynote Title: Wear Detection in Metal Forming |
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Keynote Abstract: The non-linear progress of wear poses a challenge to almost all industrial metal forming processes. Typically, wear is progressing slowly during a longer production phase, and accelerating rapidly in the severe wear phase. This can result in the deterioration of product properties and the remaining tool life. Various technologies for wear detection have been proposed. The keynote will motivate the implementation of wear monitoring systems, give an overview about different direct and indirect monitoring approaches. It will also showcase successful implementation examples and discuss their specific limitations. |
Keynote Speaker III |
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| Keynote Speaker: Pierre Montmitonnet (MINES Paris, France) | Keynote Title: Mixed Lubrication Regime Modelling in Cold Strip Rolling: Toward a More Complete Physical Description of the Boundary Component |
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Keynote Abstract: Predictive models are needed to design cold strip rolling pass schedules, investigate process problems and product quality… Due to the huge and complex impact of friction on this process, accurate friction models are necessary. The forward slip e.g. depends not only on average friction, but also on its space-distribution; friction also varies in time, e.g. accelerations and decelerations, resulting in large variations of force, torque and forward slip during transients, which need to be taken into account in the presetting of stands.
Describing space- and time-variations of friction necessitates including the scale at which physical and chemical phenomena determine friction, i.e. the microscale. The lecture will summarize our latest efforts to enrich our mixed lubrication modelling of cold rolling, in search for a more accurate description of what is going on at asperity scale in the strip-roll interface. It involves a macroscale description of the interface temperature profile, criteria for lubricant additive desorption, for asperity scale adhesion and metallic transfer film formation, major phenomena which impact the degree of ploughing friction. Principles of the model will be recalled, and the theoretical results will be confronted with experiments on a high-speed laboratory rolling mill. |
Keynote Speaker IV |
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| Keynote Speaker: Prof. Gracious Ngaile (North Carolina State University, USA) | Keynote Title: Tribology in Tube Hydroforming |
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Keynote Abstract: In the Tube Hydroforming (THF) process, the frictional behavior at the tube–die interface evolves dynamically due to variations in internal pressure and axial feed. These changes in loading path influence contact conditions in both time and space, making tribology a critical factor in determining the overall success of the process. This keynote presentation will explore lubrication mechanisms encountered in both feed-driven and expansion-driven THF operations, with emphasis on how frictional response varies with contact pressure, material expansion, and sliding velocity.Recent advances in hydroforming have introduced dual-pressure strategies, where the combination of internal and external pressure cycling promotes reflow and redistribution of lubricant across the contact interface. This approach has been shown to lower interfacial friction, reduce tool wear, and improve material flow, especially when used in conjunction with low-friction interface materials or specially formulated lubricants. Surface treatments such as controlled roughening or texturing of the tube surface have also been demonstrated to enhance lubricant retention and minimize localized sticking, leading to improved formability and surface quality.
In terms of evaluation, significant progress has been made in replicating THF contact conditions through tribological testing platforms, such as tube-sliding tribometers. These allow for the characterization of friction as a function of contact pressure and relative velocity, which is critical for selecting lubricants and validating simulation models. Modern finite element tools increasingly incorporate pressure- and velocity-dependent friction models, replacing the traditional assumption of constant coefficients of friction. These models enable more realistic simulation of material flow, thinning behavior, and tooling loads in THF processes. Additionally, the development of sustainable lubrication solutions has gained attention. Water-based gel lubricants incorporating nano-additives, such as silica particles, have shown the potential to deliver ultra-low friction under high-pressure forming conditions. Solid lubricant coatings and advanced boundary lubrication films are also being investigated for their ability to form persistent tribo-films and maintain performance under severe contact. This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of tribology in tube hydroforming. It will highlight current practices, emerging lubrication technologies, and the role of numerical modeling in advancing the understanding and control of interface behavior. Emphasis will be placed on linking tribological evaluation methods to actual process conditions, with the aim of improving formability, enhancing process robustness, and extending tool life in industrial THF applications. |
