Development of Methodology with Excellent Reproducibility for Evaluating Stretch-Flangeability Using a Sheared-Edge Tensile Test

Stretch-flangeability is an important formability factor for advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) when manufacturing automotive parts. However, the reproducibility of the hole expansion test (HET), a standard testing method established by the international organization for standardization, is quite poor compared with other mechanical testing methods. In this study, we propose a new method, the sheared-edge tensile test (SETT), for evaluating stretch-flangeability with excellent reproducibility. SETT takes into account the deformation behavior during the HET and the critical extrinsic factors influencing the hole expansion ratio (HER). The correlation between the sheared-edge surface characteristics, the tensile properties of the SETT specimen, and stretch-flangeability were investigated to gain in-depth understanding of the proposed evaluation method. Although the correlation between HER and the post-uniform elongation of the SETT specimen with an HER >80% was ambiguous, the SETT results exhibited good reproducibility, and the stretch-flangeability indicated by HER tended to increase linearly with increases in the post-uniform elongation of the SETT specimen. Furthermore, the roughness of the sheared-edge surface had a significant effect on the local deformation behavior of the materials. The proposed method requires only a small amount of specimen, as compared with the HET and can evaluate stretch-flangeability with good reproducibility.