SURFACE ASPERITY FLATTENING IN SHEET-METAL FORMING - A 3-D RELOCATIONSTYLUS PROFILOMETRIC STUDY

Among the laser textured steel sheets retained for difficult stamping situations those with isolated, non communicating valleys are shown to be especially interesting. Such isolated valleys act simultaneously a s traps for wear debris and as practically frictionless, high pressure oil pockets, participating in overall load carrying. These results ar e substantiated by 3D profilometry before and after friction to analys e specific residual roughness and friction-induced surface damage on t he load carrying plateaux.