Thickness Strain Analysis as a Tool for Process Control in Metal Forming

Thickness Strain Analysis (TSA) is the result of an evolution of technology that began with the production of the first flat rolled steel. It is an analytical approach to problems that have previously defied description.

Though the topic was first written about by Stu Keeler in an SAE Technical Paper in 1985, the development process can be traced to the earliest tool and die makers who wondered what made some parts easy to form while others seemed impossible to make.

This paper is an analysis of the present state of TSA with some mention of the development process and how it was accomplished.

TSA is the real time measurement of the metal thinning in formed parts. By examining the thinning in many parts produced by a die over time, the thinning can be monitored and charted to show the position and stability of any selected area of a part. By analyzing these charts with basic statistical tools, the process can be measured and improved.