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.