Potential of Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete UHPFRC in Metal Forming Technology

In metal forming technology, faster development and production cycles are complicated by the production of deep drawing tools. Those are already mandatory even for small series. Compared to conventional concrete materials, ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is characterized by its strength properties, which are close to the requirements for use in metal forming technology. The present work investigates the potential of UHPFRC in terms of strength properties and tool manufacturing to be used for prototyping as well as for small and very small series production in metal forming technology. For this purpose, the flexural strength and the compressive strength of UHPFRC materials is increased by adding carbon fibers of different lengths and different volume ratios. The material is evaluated by means of three-point bending tests and compression tests. Additionally, a novel indirect rapid tooling approach, a combination of fused deposition modeling (FDM) and room-temperature-vulcanizing (RTV) silicone molding, is introduced. This approach enables the casting of near-net-shape deep drawing tools with high dimensional accuracy.