A new approach for failure criterion for sheet metals

The interpretation of sheet forming simulations relies on failure criteria to define the limits of metal deformation. The common requirements for these criteria across a broad range of application areas have not yet been satisfied or fully identified, and a single criterion to satisfy all needs has not been developed. Areas where existing criteria appear to be lacking are in the comprehension of the effects of non-proportional loading, general non-planar and triaxial stress loading, and process and material mechanisms that differentiate between necking and fracture. This study was mainly motivated to provide an efficient method for the analysis of necking and fracture limits for sheet metals. In this paper, a model for the necking limit is combined with a model for the fracture limit in the principal stress space by employing a stress-based forming limit curve (FLC) and the maximum shear stress (MSS) criterion. A new metal failure criterion for in-plane isotropic metals is described, based on and validated by a set of critical experiments. This criterion also takes into consideration of the stress distribution through the thickness of the sheet metal to identify the mode of failure, including localized necking prior to fracture, surface cracking, and through-thickness fracture, with or without a preceding neck. The fracture model is also applied to the openability of a food can for AA 5182. The predicted results show very good agreement with the experimentally observed data.     

Suppression of necking in incremental sheet forming

Incremental sheet forming enables sheet metal to deform above a conventional strain-based forming limit. The mechanics reason has not been clearly explained yet. In this work, the stress-based forming limit was utilized for through-thickness necking analysis to explain this uncovered question. Stress-based forming limit which has path-independency shows that the stress states in top, middle and bottom surfaces did not exceed the forming limit curve at the same time and each layer has different stress state in terms of their deformation history to suppress necking. It has been found that it is important to consider the gradient stress profile following the deformation history for the proper forming limit analysis of incremental sheet forming.     

Forming limit stresses predicted by phenomenological plasticity theories with anisotropic work-hardening behavior

Forming limit stresses of sheet metals subjected to linear and combined stress paths are analyzed using the M-K model in conjunction with two anisotropic work-hardening models: a work-hardening model which is capable of describing Bauschinger and cross-hardening effects, and a work-hardening model which cannot predict the cross-hardening effect. It is found that the forming limit stress is path-independent when the stress–strain curves for the linear and combined stress paths agree well with each other. On the other hand, the forming limit stress for the combined stress path depends on the strain path when the prestrain changes the subsequent stress–strain relation. We conclude that the stress-based forming limit criterion is efficient only for a material with a work-hardening behavior that is not affected by strain path change. The influence of the work-hardening behavior on the forming limit stress is discussed in detail.     

Analytical and numerical analysis of sheet metal instability using a stress based criterion

Strain based Keeler–Goodwin diagrams are widely used in forming processes to predict onset of local necking. Plastic instability is determined once the forming limit strain is exceeded. Use of these diagrams requires proportional strain paths, which is not necessarily the case in sheet metal forming operations. In many forming processes, the strain path changes during deformation. This may change the forming limit curve significantly. In the paper, a stress based forming limit criterion is adopted to deal with strain path non-linearities. Comparisons with earlier published work on forming limits are made through analytical considerations. Furthermore, the criterion is implemented into the finite element code LS-DYNA and verified numerically against results from large scale bulge tests.     

Theory of necking localization in unconstrained electromagnetic expansion of thin sheets

Certain sheet metal alloys of industrial interest show a significant increase in ductility, over conventional forming methods, when high speed electromagnetic processes are used. The present work models the necking localization of a metal sheet during an electromagnetic process and examines the factors that influence this process. A Marciniak–Kuczynski “weak band” model is used to predict the onset of necking of a thin sheet under plane stress, an idealization of the local conditions in a thin sheet subjected to unconstrained electromagnetic loading. It is found that electromagnetic forming (EMF) increases ductility over quasistatic techniques due to the material’s strain-rate sensitivity, with ductility increasing monotonically with applied strain rates. The electric current also increases onset of necking strains, but the details depend on thermal sensitivity and temperature-dependence of the strain-rate sensitivity exponent. Given the insensitivity of the results to actual strain profiles, this local type analysis provides a useful tool that can be used for ductility predictions involving EMF processes.     

Marciniak–Kuczynski type modelling of the effect of Through-Thickness Shear on the forming limits of sheet metal

The Marciniak–Kuczynski (MK) forming limit model is extended in order to predict localized necking in sheet metal forming operations in which Through-Thickness Shear (TTS), also known as out-of-plane shear, occurs. An example of such a forming operation is Single Point Incremental Forming. The Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) of a purely plastic, isotropic hardening material with von Mises yield locus is discussed, for monotonic deformation paths that include TTS. If TTS is present in the plane containing the critical groove direction in the MK model, it is seen that formability is increased for all in-plane strain modes, except equibiaxial stretching. The increase in formability due to TTS is explained through a detailed study of some selected deformation modes. The underlying mechanism is a change of the stress mode in the groove that results in a delay of the onset of localized necking.     

预估在非比例加载下薄金属板成型极限的损伤基力学模型

探讨了用损伤基力学模型研究应变路径对薄金属板塑性失稳的影响,这种力学模型考虑了材料损伤作用．基于这种模型,在等效应变空问建立了考虑损伤的塑性失稳判据,并用以预估在比例或非比例加载下薄金属板成型极限曲线(FLC)．借助这种理论模型和方法,预估薄金属板的理论成型极限曲线与Graf和Hosford的实验结果一致。     

Predicting ductile fracture of low carbon steel sheets: Stress-based versus mixed stress/strain-based Mohr–Coulomb model

Two distinct implementations of the Mohr–Coulomb failure model are used in conjunction with a non-associated quadratic plasticity model to describe the onset of fracture in low carbon steel sheets. The stress-based version corresponds to the original Mohr–Coulomb model in stress space. For the mixed stress/strain-based version, the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion is first transformed into the space of stress triaxiality, Lode angle parameter and equivalent plastic strain and then used as stress-state dependent weighting function in a damage indicator model. Basic fracture experiments including tensile specimens of different notch radii and a punch test are performed to calibrate the material parameters of the respective models. Subsequently, the models are used to predict the crack initiation in a Hasek test and during the stamping of an anticlastic structure. Unlike for the calibration experiments, the loading history during stamping is highly non-linear. Both models can be calibrated with similar accuracy, but the strain-based model predicts the instant of onset of fracture with greater accuracy in the stamping experiment which is an advantage of the empirical damage accumulation rule.     

用损伤理论方法预测铝合金薄板成型极限

应用各向异性损伤理论研究2024-T3铝合金薄板的成形极限,通过构造有限元单胞模型预测薄板结构的极限应变.单胞模型由两相材料组成:铝合金基体和金属强化物.基体采用全耦合弹塑性-损伤本构方程描述,而金属强化物则视为弹脆性材料.采用所提出的缩颈准则,得到了双轴拉伸状态下铝合金薄板的极限应变,和实验结果比较两者吻合较好.研究结果揭示有限元单胞模型可以提供铝合金的细观损伤机理信息,当忽略材料的损伤影响,采用金属薄板成型理论的研究结果将过高估计薄板的极限应变.     

Analysis of sheet metal formability through isotropic and kinematic hardening models

The present paper aims at analysing the sheet metal formability through several isotropic and kinematic hardening models. Specifically, a special attention is paid to the physically-based hardening model of Teodosiu and Hu (1995), which accounts for the anisotropic work-hardening induced by the microstructural evolution at large strains, as well as to some more conventional hardening models, including the isotropic Swift strain-hardening power law, and the Voce saturation strain-hardening law, combined with a non-linear kinematic hardening described by the Armstrong–Frederick law. The onset of localized necking is simulated by an advanced sheet metal forming limit model which connects, through the Marciniak–Kuczinsky analysis, the hardening models with the anisotropic yield criterion Yld2000-2d (Barlat et al., 2003). Both linear and complex strain paths are taken into account. The selected material is a DC06 steel sheet. The validity of each model is assessed by comparing the predicted forming limits with experimental results carefully obtained on this steel. The origin of discrepancy in the predicted results using different hardening models is thoroughly analyzed.     

A combined necking and shear localization analysis for aluminum sheets under biaxial stretching conditions

A combined necking and shear localization analysis is adopted to model the failures of two aluminum sheets, AA5754 and AA6111, under biaxial stretching conditions. The approach is based on the assumption that the reduction of thickness or the necking mode is modeled by a plane stress formulation and the final failure mode of shear localization is modeled by a generalized plane strain formulation. The sheet material is modeled by an elastic-viscoplastic constitutive relation that accounts for the potential surface curvature, material plastic anisotropy, material rate sensitivity, and the softening due to the nucleation, growth, and coalescence of microvoids. Specifically, the necking/shear failure of the aluminum sheets is modeled under uniaxial tension, plane strain tension and equal biaxial tension. The results based on the mechanics model presented in this paper are in agreement with those based on the forming limit diagrams (FLDs) and tensile tests. When the necking mode is suppressed, the failure strains are also determined under plane strain conditions. These failure strains can be used as guidances for estimation of the surface failure strains on the stretching sides of the aluminum sheets under plane strain bending conditions. The estimated surface failure strains are higher than the failure strains of the forming limit diagrams under plane strain stretching conditions. The results are consistent with experimental observations where the surface failure strains of the aluminum sheets increase significantly on the stretching sides of the sheets under bending conditions. The results also indicate that when a considerable amount of necking is observed for a sheet metal under stretching conditions, the surface failure strains on the stretching sides of the sheet metal under bending conditions can be significantly higher.     

PREDICTION FOR FORMING LIMIT OF AL2024T3 SHEET BASED ON DAMAGE THEORY USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

This paper presents the application of anisotropic damage theory to the study of forming limit diagram of A12024T3 aluminum alloy sheet. In the prediction of limiting strains of the aluminum sheet structure, a finite element cell model has been constructed. The cell model consists of two phases, the aluminum alloy matrix and the intermetallic cluster. The material behavior of the aluminum alloy matrix is described with a fully coupled elasto-plastic damage constitutive equation. The intermetallic cluster is assumed to be elastic and brittle. By varying the stretching ratio, the limiting strains of the sheet under biaxial stretching have been predicted by using the necking criterion proposed. The prediction is in good agreement with the experimental findings. Moreover, the finite element cell model can provide information for understanding the microscopic damage mechanism of the aluminum alloy. Over-estimation of the limit strains may result if the effect of material damage is ignored in the sheet metal forming study.     

Review of theoretical models of the strain-based FLD and their relevance to the stress-based FLD

The forming limit diagram (FLD) is used in sheet metal forming analysis to determine how close the sheet metal is to tearing when it is formed into a product shape in a stamping process. The strain-path dependent nature of the FLD causes the method to become ineffective in the analysis of complex forming process, especially restrikes, flanging operations, hydroforming, and even first draw dies with deep pockets or embossments. Experimental evidence for a path-independent stress-based FLD has been reported in the literature, suggesting that the path dependency of the strain-based approach arises from the path dependent constitutive laws governing the relationship between the stress and strain tensors. This paper reviews several theoretical models of sheet metal forming instability, including bifurcation analyses of diffuse and through-thickness neck formation, the M-K model and microscopic void damage models. The equations governing the deformation at the instant of the bifurcation is shown to be independent of path in all of these models, providing a solid theoretical bases for the stress-based approach. The stress-based FLD can now be used equally well for all forming processes, without concern for path effects.     

A Finite Element Analysis of a Tapered Flat Sheet Tensile Specimen

A uniaxial tension sheet metal coupon with a tapered instead of a straight gage section has been used for centering the location of diffuse neck and for measuring sheet stretchability in a non-uniform strain field. A finite element analysis of such a tensile coupon made of automotive steel sheet metals has been carried out to assess the effect of the tapered gage section geometry and material plastic strain hardening characteristics on the development of local plastic deformation pattern and local stress state, especially beyond the onset of diffuse necking but before localized necking. In particular, the finite element analysis was used in this study to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of an experimental data analysis method for estimating the post-necking effective plastic stress-strain curve based on the direct local surface axial plastic strain measurements for base metal, heat-affected zone, and weld metals of a dual-phase steel DP600. It is concluded that the estimated lower and upper bounds of the effective stress-strain curve at large strains are not satisfactory for low strain-hardening materials such as heat-affected zone and weld metals with the tapered tension coupons. A simple correction method utilizing only the additional local surface strain measurement in the transverse direction is proposed and it is shown to be effective in correcting the estimated effective stress-strain curve of dual-phase steel weld metals obtained for two tapered gage section geometries.     

A three-dimensional model of anisotropic hardening in metals and its application to the analysis of sheet metal formability

The hardening model proposed by Z. Mróz based on the uniaxial fatigue behavior of many metals is adopted to derive an incremental constitutive equation for general three-dimensional problems. This constitutive law is then employed in the analysis of metal forming problems to assess the influence of loading cycles, of the types involved in standard forming processes, on the ultimate formability of sheet metals. The predicted forming limit curves differ quantitatively from results obtained via an isotropie hardening model and differ qualitatively from those obtained via a kinematic model. Also investigated are the effects of such loading cycles on material response to simple tensile loading, which is often used to characterize a material. Significant differences between the present model and the other two models considered are observed in such characterizers of simple tensile behavior as the stress-strain curve, the anisotropy parameter and the uniform elongation. These differences suggest a rather simple experiment to identify the proper material model to be used in analyses of problems which involve loading cycles. Comparisons with some experimental results reveal that the employment of an anisotropic hardening model, such as the generalized Mróz model derived herein, is indeed crucial in accurately predicting material response to complicated loading histories.     

Crack tip field in a linear elastic–plastic strain-hardening material

The strip necking model for strain-hardening materials is studied in this paper, in which the stress distributed over the strip necking zone is assumed to be ultimate stress. The bi-linear stress–strain relation which can model certain features of plastic flow is adopted in this model. The stress and strain fields are calculated based on this model in this paper. The size of the strip necking region is determined by balancing the stress intensity factor due to remote loading with that due to assumed closing forces equal to the ultimate tensile strength of the material distributed over the strip necking zone. It is interesting that the strip necking region size and the crack tip opening displacement depend not only on the remote load, but also the material hardening parameters, which is different from the results of strip yield model. The results agree with experiments well, and the model has wider application.     

Forming limit diagram prediction of tailor welded blank by modified M–K model

The Marciniak and Kuczynski (M–K) model for necking prediction in sheet metal forming was based on the in-plane forming. Bending which was resulted from out-of-plane forming was not considered in the M–K model. Whereas most of the sheet metal forming processes and also standard test of hemispherical punch for forming limit diagram are out-of-plane forming, it is important to consider bending effect in the M–K model. Therefore, in this study bending strain is added to stretching strain of M–K model and a new model is presented for forming limit diagram (FLD) prediction. This modified M–K (MM–K) model is written in the python programming language and it is used as a post-processing criterion for FLD prediction in the commercial software Abaqus. The MM–K model was used to predict FLD and weld line movement in the tailor welded blank forming. It was found that the predicted results by MM–K model are in a good agreement with experimental data.     

An extended Marciniak-Kuczynski model for anisotropic sheet subjected to monotonic strain paths with through-thickness shear

Some metal sheet forming processes may induce an amount of plastic shear over the sheet thickness. This paper investigates how formability of anisotropic sheet metal is affected by such through-thickness shear (TTS). The Marciniak-Kuczynski (MK) model framework, a commonly used analytical tool to predict the limit of sheet formability due to the onset of localized necking, is extended in this paper in order to explicitly account for TTS in anisotropic metal sheets. It is a continuation of previous work by the present authors (Eyckens et al., 2009), in which TTS is incorporated for isotropic sheet. This is achieved by the introduction of additional force equilibrium and geometric compatibility equations that govern the connection between matrix and groove in the MK model. Furthermore, in order to integrate plastic anisotropy, a material reference frame available in recent literature is incorporated, as well as a particular model for anisotropic yielding that relies on virtual testing of anisotropic properties (Facet plastic potential), since out-of-plane anisotropy related to TTS cannot be measured experimentally.It is found that formability may be increased by TTS, depending on the direction onto which it is imposed by the forming process. TTS is thus a relevant aspect of the formability in, for instance, sheet forming processes in which sliding contact with friction between sheets and forming tools occur.     

Strain localization analysis for planar polycrystals based on bifurcation theory

In the present paper, an efficient numerical tool is developed to investigate the ductility limit of polycrystalline aggregates under in-plane biaxial loading. These aggregates are assumed to be representative of very thin sheet metals (with typically few grains through the thickness). Therefore, the plane-stress assumption is naturally adopted to numerically predict the occurrence of strain localization. Furthermore, the initial crystallographic texture is assumed to be planar. Considering the latter assumptions, a two-dimensional single-crystal model is advantageously chosen to describe the mechanical behavior at the microscopic scale. The mechanical behavior of the planar polycrystalline aggregate is derived from that of single crystals by using the full-constraint Taylor scale-transition scheme. To predict the occurrence of localized necking, the developed multiscale model is coupled with bifurcation theory. As will be demonstrated through various numerical results, in the case of biaxial loading under plane-stress conditions, the planar single-crystal model provides the same predictions as those given by the more commonly used three-dimensional single-crystal model. Moreover, the use of the two-dimensional model instead of the three-dimensional one allows dividing the number of active slip systems by two and, hence, significantly reducing the CPU time required for the integration of the constitutive equations at the single-crystal scale. Furthermore, the planar polycrystal model seems to be more suitable to study the ductility of very thin sheet metals, as its use allows us to rigorously ensure the plane-stress state, which is not always the case when the fully three-dimensional polycrystalline model is employed. Consequently, the adoption of this planar formulation, instead of the three-dimensional one, allows us to simplify the computational aspects and, accordingly, to considerably reduce the CPU time required for the numerical predictions.