A Graphical Method to Estimate Forming Limit Curve of Sheet Metals

Since its foundation, the concept of forming limit diagram has been widely accepted in sheet metal forming community as a powerful tool for studying formability. There are pyramid models that were developed to estimate the forming limit curve theoretically, for example, Swift's diffuse necking criterion, Hill's localized necking criterion, Marciniak and Kuczynski model, Modified Maximum Force Criterion, etc.. Implement of these models, however, is a laborious task. To simply the task, this study presents a graphical method to estimate forming limit curve of sheet metal. Some new insights into the Modified Maximum Force Criterion, the Hora method, are discussed. The insights pertain to the use of a graphic tool to estimate limit strains at three critical forming modes in sheet metal forming that are the uniaxial tension, plane strain, and equi-biaxial tension. Connecting three points by linear lines yields to a simple graph of forming limit curve. Method validation is supported by comparing the estimated forming limit curve with experimentally measured data for several automotive sheet metals.

Experimental and Numerical Investigations into the Failure Mechanisms of TRIP700 Steel Sheets

The formability and failure behavior of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel blanks were investigated through various stress states. The forming limit diagram (FLD) at fracture was constructed both experimentally and numerically. Numerical studies were performed to evaluate the applicability of different damage criteria in predicting the FLD as well as complex cross-die deep drawing process. The fracture surface and numerical results reveal that the material failed in a different mode for different strain path. Therefore, the Tresca model, which is based on shear stress, accurately predicted the conditions where shear had a profound effect on the damage initiation, whereas Situ localized necking criterion could calculate the conditions in which localization was dominant.

Experimental and Numerical Investigations into the Failure Mechanisms of TRIP700 Steel Sheets

The formability and failure behavior of TRIP steel blanks were investigated through various stress states. The forming limit diagram (FLD) at fracture is constructed both experimentally and numerically. Numerical studies are performed to evaluate the applicability of different damage criteria in predicting the FLD as well as complex cross-die deep drawing process.  The fracture surface and numerical results revealed that the material failed in a different mode for different strain path. Therefore, Tresca model which is based on shear stress accurately predicted the conditions where shear had the profound effect on the damage initiation, whereas Situ localized necking criterion was able to calculate the conditions which localization was dominant.

BIFURCATION ANALYSIS VERSUS MAXIMUM FORCE CRITERIA IN FORMABILITY LIMIT ASSESSMENT OF STRETCHED METAL SHEETS

The present contribution deals with the prediction of diffuse necking in the context of forming and stretching of metal sheets. For this purpose, two approaches are investigated, namely bifurcation and the maximum force principle, with a systematic comparison of their respective ability to predict necking. While the bifurcation approach is of quite general applicability, some restrictions are shown for the application of maximum force conditions. Although the predictions of the two approaches are identical for particular loading paths and constitutive models, they are generally different, which is even the case for elasticity, confirming the distinct nature of the two concepts. Closed-form expressions of the critical stress and strain states are derived for both criteria in elasto-plasticity and rigid-plasticity for a variety of hardening models. The resulting useful formulas in rigid-plasticity are shown to also accurately represent the elasto-plastic critical states for small ratios of the hardening modulus with respect to Young's modulus. Finally, the well-known expression of Swift's diffuse necking criterion, whose foundations are attributed in the literature to the maximum force principle, is shown here to originate from the bifurcation approach instead, providing a sound justification for it.

Study on Instability and Forming Limit of Sheet Metal under Stretch-Bending

Under stretch-bending conditions, a significant tensile stress gradient through sheet thickness is induced, especially for a small punch radius. The traditional instability theories were developed assuming a uniform tensile stress / strain distribution through thickness; hence, may lead to unreliable prediction of stretch-bending formability. In this study, the instability behavior of sheet metal under stretch-bending is analyzed via FE-simulation of an Angular Stretch-Bend Test (ASBT). In order to reflect the influence of bending, contact normal stress etc., solid elements are used in the simulation. Three deformation stages are identified: (a). stable deformation; (b). strain localization through sheet thickness; (c). localized necking. Based on the instability characteristics, a localized necking criterion is proposed for predicting forming limits of sheet metal under stretch-bending. By combining the proposed criterion and solid element simulation, good agreement between numerical and experimental results is indicated. This work provides a new approach for predicting stretch-bend formability with sufficient accuracy and convenience.