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Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 4088

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Interests: metal forming; solid and semi-solid state recycling; green manufacturing; welding

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Interests: metal forming; heat treatment; tools and dies; numerical modeling of manufacturing systems

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Interests: modeling and optimization of processes; machine tools; application of evolutionary algorithms and other natural-based algorithms; process efficiency; energy savings in production processes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few years, there has been a demand for developing new technologies and materials aimed at shaping metals in ways that minimize environmental impact, reduce energy consumption, and enhance resource efficiency. The negative impact of climate change and the increased attention to the environment pushed the development of sustainable technologies and materials, which are crucial for advancing manufacturing in a manner that aligns with environmental sustainability goals. Environmental sustainability goals, in combination with innovative technologies and materials, are an important part of the circular economy system.

 By focusing on energy and material efficiency, waste reduction, and greenhouse gas emission control, the industry can progress towards more eco-friendly practices. Sustainable goals can be achieved through cold forming processes, high-strength alloys, innovative recycling and reuse, waste reduction, near-net shaping manufacturing, closed-loop systems, greenhouse gas emission reduction, the use of environmentally friendly materials, and advanced computational methods to optimize forming processes and minimize waste. Although there are challenges to overcome, the benefits to the environment and the economy make sustainable metals a critical area of development.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

  • Sustainable forming technologies;
  • Solid and semi-solid metal recycling;
  • Flexible and adaptive manufacturing;
  • Sustainable manufacturing systems;
  • Innovative forming materials;
  • Energy-efficient additive manufacturing (3D printing);
  • The green manufacturing process.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions for this Special Issue.

Dr. Jure Krolo
Prof. Dr. Branimir Lela
Prof. Dr. Zoran Jurković
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable metal forming
  • environmentally friendly forming materials
  • energy-efficient metal forming
  • green manufacturing
  • waste reduction in metal forming
  • recycling

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 20172 KiB  
Article
Advantages of Corrosion-Resistant Overlay Welding on Steel S355J2N
by Ferenc Tancsics, Nikoletta Légmán, László Varga and Hajnalka Hargitai
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 3832; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073832 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 291
Abstract
In this paper, the effects of overlay welding of S355J2N steel were studied. We examined how the technological advantages of overlay welding can be taken into account to improve the service lifetime and applicability of components made from traditional S355J2N structural steel during [...] Read more.
In this paper, the effects of overlay welding of S355J2N steel were studied. We examined how the technological advantages of overlay welding can be taken into account to improve the service lifetime and applicability of components made from traditional S355J2N structural steel during the planning step. Increasing the service life of structures exposed to environmental influences is essential, especially on surfaces exposed to abrasive and chemical corrosion. The direct aim of the investigation was to present a comprehensive picture of technological advantages of the corrosion-resistant overlay welding on steel S355J2N. We mainly analysed experiments with powder-coated wire electrodes which are based on protective gas and robot technology usage. With various mechanical tests, we searched for the minimum number of layers that provides sufficient protection against corrosion. The aim of this paper is to present achieved results during development of a welding technology of a reliably functioning product with increased corrosion resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)
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17 pages, 7997 KiB  
Article
Welding of Solid-State-Recycled Aluminum Alloy: Comparative Analysis of the Mechanical and Microstructural Properties
by Jure Krolo, Vedrana Špada, Martin Bilušić and Nikša Čatipović
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1222; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031222 - 25 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 975
Abstract
The main aim of this research is to investigate the possibilities and challenges involved in the electric arc welding of solid-state-recycled EN AW 6082 aluminum alloy. Lately, solid-state recycling has gained increased attention as a more sustainable and efficient aluminum recycling method, whereby [...] Read more.
The main aim of this research is to investigate the possibilities and challenges involved in the electric arc welding of solid-state-recycled EN AW 6082 aluminum alloy. Lately, solid-state recycling has gained increased attention as a more sustainable and efficient aluminum recycling method, whereby only about 30% of the energy of conventional recycling is used. This method is based on the deformation of small-sized metal waste into solid recycled specimens without a remelting step. For the welding of solid-state-recycled specimens, both metal inert gas welding and tungsten inert gas welding methods are used. To evaluate the weldability of solid-state-recycled material, welded specimens are compared with welded, commercially produced EN AW 6082 aluminum alloy sheets. The welding is performed using the same processes, parameters, and conditions. To evaluate the welding potential of solid-state-recycled alloy, tensile tests, microhardness tests, optical metallography, and scanning electron microscopy, accompanied by energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis, are performed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)
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22 pages, 6496 KiB  
Article
Experimental Analysis on Hybrid Polymer Gears Produced with Fused Deposition Modeling Method: Thermal Behavior and Wear
by Igor Šuljić, Vjekoslav Tvrdić, Milan Perkušić and Ivan Vrljičak
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(24), 11509; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142411509 - 10 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1237
Abstract
In this study, an experimental analysis of the thermal behavior and wear of polymer and hybrid polymer gears produced with the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method was performed. Compared to conventional polymer gear manufacturing methods, the FDM process represents an energy-efficient material forming [...] Read more.
In this study, an experimental analysis of the thermal behavior and wear of polymer and hybrid polymer gears produced with the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method was performed. Compared to conventional polymer gear manufacturing methods, the FDM process represents an energy-efficient material forming method. The low thermal conductivity of polymer gears has an impact on heating, which limits their application. The novelty of this research is an experimental analysis on hybrid polymer gears, and, for this purpose, a new hybrid polymer gear design with aluminum and steel inserts has been proposed. An in-house-developed non-mechanically closed-loop test rig was used to investigate Polyamide (PA) gears under different loads. An accelerated step load test procedure was employed, while the gears’ bulk temperature was recorded with a thermal imaging camera. The print quality affected the tooth flank surface roughness, so polymer gears with two different print qualities were initially produced. Hybrid polymer gears were produced with a higher print quality, since the print quality had an influence on the heating and wear. The correlation between the bulk temperature and wear was observed for all of the tested gears. A novel design of hybrid polymer gears with aluminum inserts achieved up to a 9 °C (17%) lower bulk temperature and a higher wear resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)
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15 pages, 4504 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Cutting Environment Evaluation for Drilling of Aluminum A380 Foam Produced by Semisolid Recycling
by Igor Ćulum, Sonja Jozić, Dražen Bajić and Marijana Kalajžić
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(22), 10382; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210382 - 12 Nov 2024
Viewed by 833
Abstract
The development of sustainable cooling technologies and increased concern for recycled materials will affect the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which primarily originate from the production industry. In this research paper, a twofold contribution to sustainability is made through the efficient application of [...] Read more.
The development of sustainable cooling technologies and increased concern for recycled materials will affect the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which primarily originate from the production industry. In this research paper, a twofold contribution to sustainability is made through the efficient application of a workpiece, obtained by recycling waste in the form of metal chips, and the machining of the obtained workpiece by using alternative cooling techniques comparing them to cutting fluids. Minimum quantity lubrication and cold compressed air cooling were selected as two sustainable, alternative cutting environments. Using Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array, the influence of cutting speed, feed rate and cutting environment on drilling thrust force, built-up edge formation and hole deviation was observed. Using the analysis of variance method, feed rate was identified to have the highest influence on the output parameters (31%), followed by cooling and lubrication techniques (18%) and lastly by cutting speed (5%). Based on the grey relation analysis, optimal controllable factors were identified. This analysis indicated that low cutting speeds and feed rates, coupled with the MQL cutting environment, produced the lowest thrust force, deviation of hole and built-up edge formation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)
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