Effect of reverse and cyclic shear on the work-hardening of AISI 430 stainless steel

Sheet metal forming commonly involves various processing steps leading to complex strain paths. The work hardening of the metal under these circumstances is different from that observed for monotonic straining. The effect of the strain path on the hardening of materials is usually studied through sequences of standard mechanical tests, and the shear test is especially well adapted to such studies in sheet forming. Shear straining covering Bauschinger and cyclic strain paths were used in the analysis of the hardening of AISI 430 stainless steel sheets. The tests were conducted at 0°RD, 45°RD, and 90°RD (Rolling Direction) and for three effective strain amplitudes. The results indicate that the material presents Bauschinger effects and strain hardening transients that are sensitive to the testing direction. In addition, the cyclic straining leads to an oscillating stress pattern for the forward and reverse shearing cycles, which depends on the deformation amplitude.     

Evaluation of the shear stresses on surface structured workpieces in dry forming using a novel pin-on-cylinder tribometer with axial feed

In production engineering cold forging processes are of great importance due to the high material utilization and the associated energy and resource efficiency. In order to successfully perform cold forging processes, liquid and solid lubricants are used, which are often questionable due to ecological, economic and legislative reasons. For these reasons, dry forming exhibits an increased research potential. The absence of lubricants in dry forming significantly contributes to the waste reduction in manufacturing processes and to the goal of a lubricant-free factory. However, this goes along with the requirement that the dry tribological system has to incur the functions of absent lubricants. In this work, it is proposed to reduce friction by surface structures on workpieces. Positive effects of surface structures were already observed in dry sheet metal forming. However, sheet metal forming significantly differs from cold forging due to lower contact pressures and a lower surface expansion of the workpiece. In order to enable dry forming in cold forging for the first time, friction-optimized surface structures on workpieces are explored. Using a newly developed Pin-On-Cylinder tribometer, experiments present the influence of selected surface structures and surface layer states on the frictional shear stresses in dry contacts.     

Path-independent forming limit models for multi-stage forming processes

Many practitioners of the metal forming community remain faithful to the idea that strain metrics are useful for formability assessment. However, it is only valid when deformation occurs along linear strain paths. Current simulations of multi-stage sheet forming processes for rigid-packaging and automotive components result in higher rejection rates due to the inaccuracy of forming and fracture limit models. In this work, we establish a new approach considering path-independency in forming limits based on the stress-based forming limit and polar EPS (Effective Plastic Strain) diagram which appear to be an effective solution for nonlinear effects. The related theory has been implemented into a user material model in commercial software.     

Thermo-mechanical sheet metal forming of aero engine components in Ti-6Al-4V—PART 2: Constitutive modelling and validation

In this work constitutive models suitable for thermo-mechanical forming of the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V are evaluated. A tool concept for thermo-mechanical forming of a double-curved sheet metal component in Ti-6Al-4V is proposed. The virtual tool design is based on finite element (FE) analyses of thermo-mechanical sheet metal forming in which two different anisotropic yield criteria are evaluated and compared with an isotropic assumption to predict global forming force, draw-in, springback and strain localisation. The shape of the yield surface has been found important and the accuracy of the predicted shape deviation could be slightly improved by including the cooling procedure. The predicted responses show promising agreement with the corresponding experimental observations when the anisotropic properties of the material are considered.     

Finite element analysis of combined forming processes by means of rate dependent ductile damage modelling

Sheet metal forming is an inherent part of todays production industry. A major goal is to increase the forming limits of classical deep-drawing processes. One possibility to achieve that is to combine the conventional quasi-static (QS) forming process with electromagnetic high-speed (HS) post-forming. This work focuses on the finite element analysis of such combined forming processes to demonstrate the improvement which can be achieved. For this purpose, a cooperation of different institutions representing different work fields has been established. The material characterization is based on flow curves and forming limit curves for low and high strain rates obtained by novel testing devices. Further experimental investigations have been performed on the process chain of a cross shaped cup, referring to both purely quasi-static and quasi-static combined with electromagnetic forming. While efficient mathematical optimization algorithms support the new viscoplastic ductile damage modelling to find the optimum parameters based on the results of experimental material characterization, the full process chain is studied by means of an electro-magneto-mechanical finite element analysis. The constitutive equations of the material model are integrated in an explicit manner and implemented as a user material subroutine into the commercial finite element package LS-DYNA.     

Investigation on the effect of friction stir processing on the superplastic forming of AZ31B alloy

Superplastic forming has now become conventional for forming complex parts from sheet metals. In many superplastically formed aerospace components, only a selective region undergoes superplastic forming. In those cases, instead of selecting a material exhibiting superplastic properties, a light weight and low cost material can be chosen and its microstructure can be modified locally by the Friction Stir Processing (FSP) technique. In this work, AZ31B magnesium alloy is chosen, and friction stir processing is performed by varying the process parameters, such as tool axial force, tool traversing speed and tool rotational speed. The process parameter that produced equiaxed grains in the stirred zone with a grain size less than 10 μm is selected. With this parameter, single pass FSP, multiple pass FSP without overlapping and multiple pass FSP with overlapping are performed on the AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets and their superplastic behaviour was examined. Also the theoretical modelling was carried out to determine the strain rate sensitivity for the friction stir processed AZ31B magnesium alloy and for the nonprocessed AZ31B magnesium alloy. It is found that the strain rate sensitivity for the friction stir processed component has increased, when compared to the base metal.     

Experimental and numerical analysis of micromechanical damage in the punching process for High-Strength Low-Alloy steels

Sequential sheet metal forming processes can result in the accumulation of work hardening and damage effects in the workpiece material. The mechanical strength of the final component depends on the “evolution” of these two characteristics in the different production steps. The punching process, which is usually in the beginning of the production chain, has an important impact on the stress, strain and damage states in the punched zones. It is essential that the influence of these mechanical fields be taken into account in the simulation of the forming sequence. In order to evaluate the evolution of each phenomenon, and in particular damage accumulation in the forming process, it is essential to characterize the punching process. The objective of this work is to understand and identify the physical damage mechanisms that occur during the punching operation and to establish relevant numerical models to predict the fracture location. The effect of the punch–die clearance on mechanical fields distribution is also discussed in this work.     

Experimental and numerical evaluation of forming limit diagram for Ti6Al4V titanium and Al6061-T6 aluminum alloys sheets

The forming limit diagram (FLD) is a useful concept for characterizing the formability of sheet metal. In this work, the formability, fracture mode and strain distribution during forming of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy and Al6061-T6 aluminum alloy sheets has been investigated experimentally using a special process of hydroforming deep drawing assisted by floating disc. The selected sheet material has been photo-girded for strain measurements. The effects of process parameters on FLD have been evaluated and simulated using ABAQUS/Standard. Hill-swift and NADDRG theoretical forming limit diagram models are used to specify fracture initiation in the finite element model (FEM) and it is shown that the Hill-swift model gives a better prediction. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experiment.     

Establishing a new Forming Limit Curve for a flax fibre reinforced polypropylene composite through stretch forming experiments

In developing an understanding of the failure in natural fibre reinforced polymer composites, the failure limits of this class of the material system are required. It is found that the conventional Forming Limit Curve is not suitable to predict the failure initiated in the natural fibre composite as principal strains cannot differentiate the strain on the flax fibres and the polypropylene matrix. This study proposes a new Forming Limit Curve for the composite which expresses limiting fibre strain as a function of forming mode depicted by the ratio of minor strain to major strain. The new Forming Limit Curve, along with the Maximum Strain failure criterion have been successfully implemented in FEA simulations, and numerical simulations suggest that the former is more accurate. The current work provides an innovative method to predict the onset of failure in natural fibre composites, which can be applied in composite forming and structural design.     

Experiences from experimental and numerical springback studies of a semi-industrial forming tool

The work reported in the present paper constitutes a part of a project on simulation of springback in sheet metal forming. Previous work in this project has been concentrated on material modeling and characterization with focus on springback applications. It has been demonstrated that, with proper considerations of all aspects of the material model and the material properties, excellent springback results can be obtained for simple problems. At the simulation of real, industrial parts, a number of additional problems are encountered. Many of these problems are associated with deviations from nominal geometries and other properties. These are examples of factors that influence the outcome of the forming process, but are unknown to the analyst, and can therefore not be considered in the simulation of the forming process. Other phenomena are known to exist, but due to their complexity, they are practically impossible to consider in industrial simulations. Examples of such phenomena are the true frictional behavior in contacts between the blank and the tools, and the flexibility of the press and the forming tool. The influence of these kinds of effects is discussed in the present paper. In the current study, a semi-industrial tool, specially designed to catch those springback problems that are encountered in the forming of real industrial, parts, is used. The tool includes several characteristics that can be found in typical forming tools, such as several draw radius steps and change-over in section geometries. Effects like flange/wall angle changes, sidewall curl and twist are obtained at springback. The sensitivity of the predicted springback is evaluated with respect to various numerical factors, such as the friction coefficient, the material model, and the mesh density. Finally, the quality of the predicted springback behavior for four different materials, commonly used in the automotive industry, is evaluated.     

Effect of annealing on formability of aluminium grade 19000

Forming limit diagrams are used by the stampers to solve sheet metal forming problems. In practice, sheet metals have been subjected to various combinations of strain. Necking during sheet metal forming, sets the limit to which the sheet metal can be formed. Forming limit diagram is an effective tool to evaluate the formability of sheet metal in various strain conditions. The information upon the formability of the sheet metal is important for both sheet metal manufacturers and users. In this work, a study has been made on the formability of aluminium 19000 grades annealed at three different temperatures namely 160 °C, 200 °C and 300 °C for sheet thickness of 2.00 mm. The tensile properties and formability parameters were experimentally evaluated and they are related to forming limit diagram. Strain distribution profiles obtained from the forming experiment have been analyzed. The fractured surface of the formed samples were viewed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the SEM images were correlated with fracture behaviour and formability of sheet metal. The sheet which is annealed at 300 °C has been found to possess good drawability and stretchability compared to other two annealed sheets.     

Characterization of a superplastic aluminium alloy ALNOVI-U through free inflation tests and inverse analysis

Numerical methods are widespread in forming applications since a deeper understanding and a finer calibration of the process can be reached without most of the assumptions used in analytical approaches. In this calibration procedure the characterization of the material behaviour is an important preliminary step that cannot be avoided. Experimental tests can be numerically modelled and material constants can be found by inverse methods making numerical results as close as possible to experimental ones. In this work material parameters of a superplastic aluminium alloy have been found by experimental forming tests and an inverse analysis. Constant pressure free inflation tests were firstly performed to find the optimal range for temperature and strain rate values. Material constants were then calculated, on the basis of these tests, minimizing errors between experimental and numerical data through a gradient based optimization iterative procedure. Constant strain rate experimental tests were finally used to refine material parameters and to gain a better agreement between experiments and numerical simulations.     

Full-field measurement technique and its application to the analysis of materials behaviour under plane strain mode

The purpose of the paper is to provide a comprehensive experimental and numerical analysis of one of the encountered and critical state modes in sheet metal forming processes. The study is carried out with the help of the full-field measurement techniques. In order to confer some generality to the proposed work, several materials and different specimen shapes are considered that exhibit more or less homogeneous strain field. The proposed experimental study of the plane strain test is completed by a preliminary identification of the material parameters for non-linear behaviour at finite strains, using heterogeneous strain field.     

Modeling of the material behavior during hot hydroforming

For the purpose of numerically simulating metal forming processes, material data are necessary, determined by testing procedures similar to the particular process. The new technology of hot tube bulge tests has been introduced recently, fulfilling the requirements of material data determination for hot hydroforming. Based on measurement data gained by this technology, selected constitutive relations for approximating the flow stress depending on temperature, strain rate and logarithmic strain were parameterized applying linear regression analysis. Using the material law with the best approximation quality among the regarded equations, a numerical simulation of an exemplary forming process was accomplished. A comparison between the experimentally obtained geometry after a hot hydroforming process and the prediction by numerical analysis is used for evaluating the quality and applicability of the determined material data for this kind of process. Additionally, a process simulation, using extrapolated material data from compression tests is presented to visualize the influence of the testing procedure on the resulting part geometry prediction.     

起动齿轮端面齿形的冷摆辗成形研究

本文介绍了起动齿轮端面齿形冷摆辗成形的研究。用摆动辗压成形不能用金属切削加工方法加工的起动齿轮端面齿形,达到了节约原材料和加工工时,提高生产效率的目的。作者还研究了摆辗成形规律,并采用电测法和光塑性法证实了所选用的摆辗工艺参数合理,为推广该工艺提供了技术准备。     

One point quadrature shell elements: a study on convergence and patch tests

One point quadrature shell elements are being widely used in the numerical simulation of shell structures, including sheet forming, because essentially of their computational efficiency. Nowadays, the purpose of using one point quadrature shell elements is not only related to computational efficiency but also because these elements have shown to be simultaneously robust and accurate in the simulation of complex sheet metal forming processes. The main objective of this work is to study the convergence behavior of different one-point quadrature shell elements and their ability to pass the membrane and bending patch tests. For comparison purposes, two new elements include a new formulation for the membrane strain field in order to further improve the membrane behavior of the element developed in previous work of (in Cardoso et al. Comput Meth Appl Mech Eng 191:5177, 2002). The original convective membrane strains of Cardoso et al. (Comput Meth Appl Mech Eng 191:5177, 2002) (in the stabilization matrices only) are thus replaced by new membrane strains, constructed directly at the co-rotational coordinate system (located at the element’s center). It is thus proved that with this new membrane formulation the elements pass now all the patch tests but, for warped (or curved) element geometries, their accuracy is not as good as the original element of (Cardoso et al. in Comput Meth Appl Mech Eng 191:5177, 2002) based on the convective coordinate system. In the numerical results presented in this paper, comprehensive comparison and discussion of these formulations are made for well known linear benchmark examples.     

Effect of continuous strain path changes on forming limit strains of DP600

The strain path may change in actual sheet metal‐forming processes, so the determination of formability of sheet metal should consider the nonlinear strain path. For identifying the forming limit (FL) strains under nonlinear strain path, a conventional two‐step procedure with unloading is classically used to produce the strain path change, which results in no continuous measure of strain. The in‐plane biaxial tensile test with a cruciform specimen is an interesting alternative to overcome the drawbacks of conventional method. The strain path change can be made without unloading during a single test. In this work, the experimental FL strains of DP600 sheets under two types of nonlinear strain path are investigated and then compared with those under linear strain paths. The Oyane ductile fracture criterion is used in the finite element simulation to predict the experimental results.     

An experimental and numerical study of the effects of length scale and strain state on the necking and fracture behaviours in sheet metals

Within sheet metal forming, crashworthiness analysis in the automotive industry and ship research on collision and grounding, modelling of the material failure/fracture, including the behaviour at large plastic deformations, is critical for accurate failure predictions. In order to validate existing failure models used in finite element (FE) simulations in terms of dependence on length scale and strain state, tests recorded with the optical strain measuring system ARAMIS have been conducted. With this system, the stress–strain behaviour of uniaxial tensile tests was examined locally, and from this information true stress–strain relations were calculated on different length scales across the necking region. Forming limit tests were conducted to study the multiaxial failure behaviour of the material in terms of necking and fracture. The failure criteria that were verified against the tests were chosen among those available in the FE software Abaqus and the Bressan–Williams–Hill (BWH) criterion proposed by Alsos et al, 2008. The experimental and numerical results from the tensile tests confirmed that Barba's relation is valid for handling stress–strain dependence on the length scale used for strain evaluation after necking. Also, the evolution of damage in the FE simulations was related to the processes ultimately leading to initiation and propagation of a macroscopic crack in the final phase of the tensile tests. Furthermore, numerical simulations using the BWH criterion for prediction of instability at the necking point showed good agreement with the forming limit test results. The effect of pre-straining in the forming limit tests and the FE simulations of them is discussed.     

Semi-analytical approach for plane strain sheet metal forming using a bending-under-tension numerical model

In this paper, we revisit the plane strain deep-drawing process. We show that a detailed analysis of the physical process may result in a dramatic reduction of computing time when the problem is split into several regions undergoing well-defined loading paths. The proposed approach allows us to assess the springback of the formed sheet in a quasi-instant time and is thus suitable in the initial design phase and provides a fast and economical way to determine the influence of the numerous parameters involved in sheet metal forming. We present a semi-analytical model that has been developed for sheet metal forming mainly subjected to plane strain bending-under-tension and involving large strains. The sheet is considered to be an assembly of regions where the loading is considered homogeneous in the length direction. A handful of finite elements or even a single element is sufficient to compute the loading path followed by each region. The contact is circumvented by constraining the kinematics with appropriate boundary conditions and the approach is valid for any material behavior law. The semi-analytical model is applied to standard test cases and then compared with full-scale simulations.