A new material model for 2D numerical simulation of serrated chip formation when machining titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V

A new material constitutive law is implemented in a 2D finite element model to analyse the chip formation and shear localisation when machining titanium alloys. The numerical simulations use a commercial finite element software (FORGE 2005^®) able to solve complex thermo-mechanical problems. One of the main machining characteristics of titanium alloys is to produce segmented chips for a wide range of cutting speeds and feeds. The present study assumes that the chip segmentation is only induced by adiabatic shear banding, without material failure in the primary shear zone. The new developed model takes into account the influence of strain, strain rate and temperature on the flow stress and also introduces a strain softening effect. The tool chip friction is managed by a combined Coulomb–Tresca friction law. The influence of two different strain softening levels and machining parameters on the cutting forces and chip morphology has been studied. Chip morphology, cutting and feed forces predicted by numerical simulations are compared with experimental results.     

The application of a ductile fracture criterion to the prediction of the forming limit of sheet metals

To predict accurately the forming limit in sheet metal forming, the combination of FE simulation with tension tests is adopted in this paper to determine the material constants p and C in a ductile fracture criterion (DFC), which is advanced by the author. Forming limits of bore-expanding, hemispherical punch bulging and deep drawing (cylindrical, square-cup parts) are predicted by means of the DFC. Comparison of the results predicted by the DFC with experimental values shows that the precision of forming limit predicted by material constants obtained by the combination method is more accurate than that predicted by material constants obtained by the tension method, and that the critical punch stoke and the fracture initiation position in forming processes above mentioned are predicted accurately by the DFC.