Microstructural effects on the springback of advanced high-strength steel

The application of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) has been growing rapidly in the automotive industry. Because of their high-strength, thinner sheet metals can be used for body components to achieve both weight savings and increased safety. However, this will lead to greater springback deviation from design after the forming operation. Fundamental understanding and prediction of springback are required for springback compensation and tooling design. While various types of continuum mechanics based models have been proposed to simulate the mechanical behavior of advanced high-strength steels, few of them consider microstructural effects such as material heterogeneity. In this study, through sheet thickness strength variation has been observed in DP 780 and TRIP 780 steels. Finite-element simulation indicates that the through thickness effect (TTE) can have a significant impact on the springback behavior of these sheet metals. This is verified through our experimental work using draw-bend testing. The results suggest that microstructural effects should be considered to accurately simulate springback of AHSS. Based on these results, implications of different microstructural designs will be discussed.     

Springback in simple axisymmetric stampings

A series of experiments was conducted to measure springback (calculated from dome height measurements) in a simple, stretched sheet metal part formed using a 50.8-mm-radius hemispherical punch. Parts were formed from three materials [5182-0 aluminum, 2036-T4 aluminum, and aluminum-killed (AK) steel] using three different binder geometries (lockbead, stinger, flat), and punch penetration was varied between 1.27 and 21.6 mm, limited by failure of the aluminum sheet. The steel and 5182-0 aluminum were chosen to possess similar gage and tensile properties to highlight the effect of elastic modulus, while the 5182-0 and 2036-T4 aluminum were chosen to possess similar gage and modulus but different tensile behavior to highlight the effect of strength differences. Springback increased with increasing strength and decreasing modulus. A major finding was that, for a specific material, a primary factor influencing spring-back was the binder geometry, with the lockbead showing the least springback and least variation with punch penetration: by contrast, the stinger and flat binders exhibited much greater springback, and the magnitude of the springback was strongly influenced by the extent of punch penetration. In the worst case, the springback was more than 30 pct of punch penetration. The effect of binder region restraint on springback was evaluated by comparing the part geometry both before and after strain-free removal of the binder region by electrodischarge machining. The magnitude and sign of the binder region restraint depended on binder geometry and punch penetration but was always less than the springback observed in removing the part from the die initially.     

Springback Analysis of Two-Layer Strips in Clad Cold Bimetal Bending

Recently, multi-layer metallic materials are increasingly being employed in a wide variety of industrial applications in order to create materials with combined functions and higher performances. Based on a nonlinear finite element analysis, the present study aims to develop a model for investigating the effects of sheet thickness and position on the springback of a stainless-steel clad aluminum sheet. It addresses three different types of strain hardening models, namely isotropic, cyclic, and Johnson–Cook (JC). A purely empirical approach, JC considers strain, strain rate, and temperature in elastic–plastic deformation. Good agreements are seen between the obtained results and the experimental verification data, therefore it is concluded that the bending behavior of a bi-layer metallic sheet/strip can be accurately predicted by the proposed model.     

Influence of Pre-Deformation on Springback Effect of Advanced High Strength Steel

In sheet metal forming process of automotive components,the springback effect is significant,in particular for Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS),for example the Dual Phase (DP) steel.Most of construction parts of modern vehicles have very complex shapes and therefore multi-step procedures are necessary to form such a part.Steel sheets,which firstly undergo pre-deformation,can show considerable change in mechanical behavior during the forming process.However,at present there are limited sufficient data concerning pre-deformation effect on the springback available.In this work,a study of influences of different pre-strain levels on the springback of steel sheet made of AHSS materials has been carried out.The sheet specimens were firstly pre-stretched on a tensile testing machine and the pre-strain values were calculated based on the engineering strain.Furthermore,the steel sheets prepared parallel,transverse,and 45° to the rolling direction have been investigated.A modified U-shape forming was used to evaluate the degree of springback of the steel sheets under various conditions.In parallel,FE simulation of the U-shape forming was performed.Both isotropic model using stress-strain responses from tensile test of specimens with different directions and anisotropic Hill’s 48 model have been applied.The experimental results are compared with the sheet metal forming FE simulations.The primarily aim is to basically understand the springback mechanism by means of the simple models.And finally,conclusions with regard to the springback modeling will be presented.     

Experimental Study on Springback of Sheet Metal Single Point Incremental Forming

Sheet metal single point incremental forming (SPIF) is a new technology for flexible process.The spring- back phenomenon in single point incremental forming has been discussed.Effects of forming angle and shape of the part are analysed using simple experimental method.Tool diameter, sheet thickness, step size, material parameters and the interaction of them are also analysed by using orthogonal test.The results show that the primary factor af- fecting springback is forming angle.In addition, springback is decreased when the specimen has a larger forming angle.The order of the four factors that influence springback is tool diameter, sheet thickness, step size and materi- al parameters.The forming precision will increase if springabck is decreased by optimizing the forming parameters.     

Experimental Analysis and Prediction of Springback in V-bending Process of High-Tensile Strength Steels

Experimental setup has been designed, to study the effects of thickness, width, bend angle and machine tool parameters on the springback, in two high-tensile strength steel grades, namely JSC440 and JSC590, during the V-bending process. Relationship between the springback and the parameters are analyzed using plots. Optimal combination of parameters for the minimum springback is evaluated. Analysis of variance has been carried out to analyze the magnitude of influence of these parameters on the springback. Using the experimental results, analytical models for the prediction of springback for the combinations of blank thickness, width, bend angle and machine tool parameters have been developed. Results reveal that in V-bending of JSC440, thickness and width are the dominant factors influencing the springback, whereas in JSC590 steel, insignificant change in springback is observed with the change in width of blank and using the hydraulic press with holding. However, thickness of steel sheet and bend angle influence significantly the springback in JSC590 steels.

     

Material Characterisation for Reliable and Efficient Springback Prediction in Sheet Metal Forming

In this paper, a novel experimental‐numerical methodology for an accurate prediction of springback after sheet forming is presented. An advanced phenomenological material model is implemented in the FE‐code ABAQUS. It includes the Bauschinger effect, the apparent reduction of the elasticity modulus at load reversal after plastic deformation, the strain rate dependence and the elastic‐plastic anisotropy and its evolution during the forming process. The required material parameters are determined from stress‐strain curves measured in tension‐compression tests. These tests are carried out with a special test rig designed to avoid buckling of the specimens during compression. The benefits of this procedure for springback prediction are demonstrated. Additionally, parameters for the phenomenological models are determined from texture simulations.     

Forming properties and springback evaluation of copper beryllium sheets

Copper beryllium (CuBe) alloys possess excellent strength and conductivity. They have become the most important materials used for producing high reliability connectors and interconnections for electrical and electronic applications. As demand for high connection density in electrical and electronic products grows, springback behaviors become increasingly critical in fabricating these miniaturized contact components from sheet base materials. In the present article, a study of the springback behavior of CuBe sheets under different heat treatments is presented, with the goal of providing reliable information needed for fabricating more intricate connection parts. Both experimental and analytical techniques were adopted. The tensile tester was first used to study the springback related tensile properties. The governing tensile parameters on springback were identified, and their variations for sheets with different heat treatments were studied. It was found that a bilinear constitutive relationship can best characterize the stress strain behavior of the CuBe alloy. A closed form solution based on this bilinear relationship was formulated to predict the springback for the CuBe sheets at bending conditions. A V-shaped bend tester having an interchangeable punch to accommodate multiple radii was designed and built to evaluate the springback properties of CuBe sheets. A good correlation was found between the analytical predictions and experimental data. A parametric study, as an example, was also performed to provide the springback information needed for designing complicated connectors. formerly Director of R&D with NGK Metals Corp., Reading, PA 19612     

Study of effect of load on springback in sheet metal bending

Springback remains a major concern in sheet metal bending in fabricating any final product within the permissible tolerance. Apart from the geometrical and material parameters, springback is significantly affected by the forming load also and the present study is focused on it. Sheet metal bending process involves large rotation and strain as well as large springback due to elastic recovery of the material. Therefore, a large deformation algorithm based Finite Element software was used to model a typical sheet metal bending process employed in manufacturing cylindrical structures. A Total-Elastic-Incremental-Plastic (TEIP) algorithm has been incorporated in an in-house software to handle large deformation and the elastic recovery during the unloading process. In addition, experiments have been performed on aluminum, brass, copper and mild steel sheets and substantiated with the FEM analysis.     

Numerical Solution of Thin‐walled Tube Bending Springback with Exponential Hardening Law

The process of manufacturing thin‐walled tubes which show exponential hardening is investigated. The analysis is based on the feedback analysis of bending springback tests. The springback angle is calculated using a formula which is derived from numerical methods. The experiments and finite element calculations prove that the formula agrees well with the test results. However, for tubes with strong hardening characteristics, certain discrepancies exist. The springback angle increases linearly with the ratio of plastic and elastic modulus, and decreases nonlinearly with increasing hardening index. The larger the ratio of plastic and elastic modulus, the greater the amount of reduction as the hardening index increases. The amount of increment in the springback angle incurred by the increase of the normalized bending radius is greater for smaller hardening index values. For thin‐walled tubes, after unloading, the elastic component takes a higher percentage in the total deformation as the relative wall thickness increases, causing the springback angle to increase slightly. However, when the growth rate of the cross section inertia moment is greater than that of the proportion of elastic deformation, the springback angle tends to decrease slightly as the normalized wall thickness increases. The formula will be applied to promote the technical development in springback prediction, control and compensation.     

非线性组合硬化条件下镁合金板料变形回弹预测

变形回弹作为金属板料成形的主要缺陷之一,如何提高变应变路径条件下的回弹预测精度一直是研究者们面临的难题.本文针对镁合金变形特点,提出了同时考虑同向硬化、动态硬化和屈服圆畸变的本构模型.以0.8 mm厚AZ31B镁合金板料为研究对象,施加不同预拉伸后进行弯曲变形试验,观察了不同预变形对回弹规律的影响.同时结合有限元分析ABAQUS-Explicit (Vumat)和ABAQUS-Implicit (Umat)对板料的变形及回弹过程进行模拟仿真,对比试验与模拟结果,验证动态硬化对于镁合金板料变形回弹的重要影响.      

Deformation in Concrete with External CFRP Sheet Reinforcement

A detailed experimental investigation of local and global deformations of tensile-loaded, cracked, rectangular, concrete prisms reinforced with externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets was carried out. High and low modulus sheets were applied using three different thicknesses of epoxy interlayer between the sheet and concrete. It was found that the stiffness of the CFRP sheet had a dominant effect on global tension stiffening, whereas interlayer thickness had a dominant effect on local load transfer and damage formation. Thicker interlayers transferred load into through-cracked concrete over longer transfer zones, thereby increasing the spacing of subsequent cracks in the concrete. The combined effect on global stiffness of changes in transfer zones and crack spacing due to interlayer thickness was negligible. Increasing the stiffness of the CFRP sheet resulted in considerably increased global tension stiffening. Full field strain measurements by moiré interferometry revealed detailed information about local load transfer in the CFRP sheet, epoxy interlayer, and concrete in the vicinity of cracks.     

A general approach for predicting the drawing fracture load and limit drawing ratio of an axisymmetric drawing process

Based on Hill’s theory of plasticity and the Swift diffuse instability criterion, new theoretical models are proposed for predicting the drawing fracture load and limit drawing ratio (LDR) of an axisymmetric cup drawing. These models take into account the influence of triaxial stress state, anisotropy, strain hardening, bending, and tool geometry. By introducing both conventional and modified Hollomon’s equations, the influences of these variables on the constitutive relation of sheet steels are also analyzed. It is shown that the theoretical predictions of the drawing fracture load are in good agreement with experimental results for a wide range of sheet steels currently used in the automotive industry. Specific tool geometries are found to decrease the drawing fracture load and the LDR, because of increased triaxial stress states and bending effects at the critical section of the workpiece. The optimum punch-profile radius is found to be between 5.0 and 7.0 times the thickness of the sheet. Additionally, the role of both the anisotropy and strain-hardening properties of the sheet steels in determining the drawing fracture load and the LDR are, subsequently, discussed.     

A theoretical sensitivity analysis for full- dome formability tests: parameter study forn,m, r,and μ

Sheet material formability has been assessed by many kinds of tests and analyses presented in the literature; the most popular ones are based on hemispherical punch stretching geometry. An axisymmetric version of such a test was analyzed using SHEET-3 [a three-dimensional (3-D) finite element method (FEM) program] to determine the sensitivity of the test to parametersn,m, r, and μ. A realistic and self-consistent failure criterion was established to predict the limiting cup height at failure (LDH _f ) in sheet specimens from calculated strain distribution data. A 2^k factorial experiment was conducted for variations in the four variables (k = 4). The sensitivity of LDH _f to variations inn andm is constant, while its sensitivity to variations in μ. is decreased as μ, is increased. The significance of the influence of normal anisotropy on LDH_f is unclear, being dependent upon the choice of yield theory. Direct interactions between material properties and friction were, for the most part, not found to strongly influence test results at the parameter levels examined. Materials with different properties will typically not fail under the same strain conditions in full-dome cup tests. Cup test results are influenced by a number of parameters, including some not considered here,e.g., sheet thickness and test temperature. The FEM model for the full-dome cup test, including a prediction of forming limits, provides a useful technique for sorting out important effects that individual parameters have on the strain state in the sheet at failure and the predicted final punch height at failure. D.A. Burford, formerly Senior Research Associate with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University     

Phase transformations and an elastic springback in deformed stable and metastable sheet steels

An elastic springback and stress relaxation in stable and metastable sheet steels of three structural classes subjected to monotonic and alternating loading under various conditions have been experimentally studied. The dependences of the mechanical behavior of a material and the distribution of residual stresses and their relaxation after deformation on the strength, the possibilities of a phase transformation under a load, and changes in the crystallographic texture and the sequence (chronology) of alternating loading have been obtained.     

Synchrotron X-ray study of bulk lattice strains in externally loaded Cu-Mo composites

A synchrotron X-ray transmission technique was applied to study the internal load transfer and micromechanical damage in molybdenum particle-reinforced copper matrix composites during plastic deformation. Mechanically loaded, 1.5-mm-thick specimens were irradiated with a monochromatic beam of 65 keV X-rays. Low-index diffraction rings of both phases were recorded with a high-resolution two-dimensional detector. By means of newly developed data processing routines, we could quantify as a function of applied stress both the ring distortion (from which the volume-averaged elastic strains in the two phases were calculated), and the ring graininess (which is related to the Bragg peak broadening). Based on this information, the deformation and damage processes in these alloys were studied in detail. As compared to conventional neutron diffraction methods, the photon transmission technique yielded similar precision but at much reduced measurement times. The main sources of experimental errors were identified and strategies to minimize these errors were developed.     

轧制差厚板纵向弯曲回弹规律分析

为了推动轧制差厚板在汽车梁结构件上的应用,以U型件为对象,研究了轧制差厚板的纵向弯曲回弹特性。首先完成了差厚板U型零件纵向弯曲成形数值模拟,分析了差厚板的回弹趋势,讨论了差厚板的应力分布,揭示了差厚板弯曲回弹规律,探讨了差厚板等效应力的影响因素,并通过试验对回弹仿真结果进行验证。结果表明,不均匀的应力分布是纵向弯曲的差厚板U型件沿弯曲轴方向上回弹不一致的根本原因,退火处理能够减小差厚板卸载前后的应力差,从而实现抑制差厚板回弹的作用。差厚板的板料尺寸、厚度、过渡区长度均会对差厚板的等效应力造成较大影响,从而改变差厚板的回弹大小及分布。另外,差厚板零件不同厚度部位的回弹相互牵制,使得各部分的回弹量趋向一致,从而导致差厚板的回弹量均介于薄、厚等厚板之间。     

薄带厚度对Fe-C合金气-固脱碳反应的影响

为了研究薄带厚度对Fe-C合金薄带气-固脱碳反应的影响,实验采用初始碳质量分数为4.20%,厚度分别为0.6、1.0、1.5和2.0mm的Fe-C合金薄带作为原料,在Ar-H2-H2O弱氧化气氛条件下进行气-固脱碳反应。结果表明,不同厚度薄带的脱碳速率均随着脱碳时间的延长而降低,薄带越薄脱碳速率越快,碳在薄带内部向反应界面的扩散是整个脱碳反应的限制性环节;通过对实验数据的拟合得到脱碳时间、薄带厚度和脱碳量三者的经验公式,同时对脱碳规律进行了数学的描述,得出不同厚度薄带的脱碳反应均近似于一级反应。提出了可明显改善脱碳效果的分段加热脱碳法,采用该种方法,厚度为1.5mm的薄带在50min内其碳的质量分数可由初始的4.20%脱除到0.39%。     

Experimental Investigation on Hydromechanical Deep Drawing of Aluminum Alloy with Heated Media

Temperature controlled sheet hydroforming is known as the innovative processing of warm/hot sheet hydroforming. Cylindrical cup hydromechanical deep drawing (HMD) at elevated temperature is the typical process for basic research. Warm HMD process was carried out on a warm sheet hydroforming experiment platform to investigate the influences of key processing parameters on formability. The process window of successful forming versus liquid pressure was obtained, which was manifested as a shape of pyramid. The region of successful forming in warm/hot sheet hydroming is a father set of that in cold sheet hydroforming. The microstructure evolution of cups formed by using warm HMD under the effect of temperature was investigated. The grain growth was observed compared with cold HMD. The hardness of hydroformed cup was tested and no apparent reduction of hardness was detected.     

Enhancement of Process Capabilities and Numerical Prediction of Geometric Profiles and Global Springback in Incrementally Formed AA 1050 Sheets

In single point incremental forming (SPIF) process, parts suffer from dimensional inaccuracy and limited formability, mainly, due to occurrence of springback and abrupt fracture, respectively. Orientation imaging microscopy of the original AA1050 sheet revealed dislocated and distorted microstructure and texture in comparison to the same sheet preheated at different temperatures. The objective of this work is to investigate formability and geometrical accuracy due to variations in microstructure and texture of the sheet and to propose a methodology, which can predict the geometric profiles and springback effect at different preheating temperatures. The work reports enhanced formability and geometrical accuracy of parts formed by SPIF, owing to the reformation of grain structure due to preheating. However, preheating at higher temperatures, i.e., 330 and 500 °C deteriorated the surface quality, as homogenization of grain orientation led to orange peel effect. The proposed methodology, based on reverse engineering and numerical formulation, is capable of predicting two-dimensional cone and pyramid profiles as well as global spring back values associated with different preheating temperatures. The results predicted by proposed method were validated by experiments and could be implemented to enhance the accuracy of SPIF process.