Application of new VBHF optimization strategy to improve formability of automobile panels with aluminum alloy sheet

A VBHF(Variable Blank Holder Force) optimization strategy was employed to determine the optimal time-variable and spatial-variable BHF trajectories,aiming at improving the formability of automobile panels with aluminum alloy sheet.The strategy was implemented based on adaptive simulation to calculate the critical wrinkling BHF for each segmented binder of the Numisheet' 05 deck lid in a single round of simulation.The thickness comparison of the stamped part under optimal VBHF and constant BHF shows that the variance of the four sections is decreased by 70%,44%,64% and 61%,respectively,which indicates significant improvement in thickness distribution and variation control.The investigation through strain path comparison reveals the fundamental reason of formability improvement.The study proves the applicability of the new VBHF optimization strategy to complex parts with aluminum alloy sheet.

Fracture prediction in non-isothermal viscous pressure bulging of aluminum alloy sheet using ductile fracture criterion

The failure of AA3003 aluminum alloy sheet metal was predicted for non-isothermal viscous pressure bulging (VPB). Utilizing the coupled thermo-mechanical finite element method combined with ductile fracture criterion, the calculations were carried out for non-isotherm VPB at various temperatures and the influences of the initial temperature of viscous medium on failure mode of bulge specimens were investigated. The results show that the failure modes are different for the non-isothermal VPB with different initial temperatures of viscous medium. For the non-isothermal VPB of AA3003 aluminum alloy sheet with initial temperature of 250 ℃, when the initial temperature of viscous medium ranges from 150 to 180 ℃, the formability of sheet metal can be improved to a full extent. The validity of the predictions is examined by comparing with experimental results.

Numerical Quantification Model and Experiment of External Force on Roller Hemming of Curved Edge Aluminium Alloy with Adhesive

Accurate quantification of external force is the key to improve the high-precision hemming of autobody closure panels.However,the mechanism of external force on forming quality of complex contour sheet metal with adhesive is not clear subjected to geometric curvature and materials.In the present study,taking the curved edge aluminum sheet as the research object,SPH(smooth particle hydrodynamics)is introduced to simulate the viscous adhesive,and the SPH-FEM(Finite element method)coupling model of adhesive and panels considering the viscosity-pressure effect is established.The numerical simulation of the roller hemming process is carried out,then the validity and reliability of the proposed method are verified by measuring the external force in real time using triaxial force sensor.The multi-step forming process and the effect of external force on the roll in/out,surface wave and plastic strain of aluminum alloy sheet under the viscosity-pressure effect are studied,and the relationship between process parameters and external force is discussed.Results show that the coupling SPH-FEM model can well reflect the hemming process of curved edge structure.The normal force is about 2–3 times of the tangential force in the pre and final hemming process.Compared with the case without adhesive,the surface wave of flange part of the hemming with adhesive is slightly larger.The normal force and the tangential force increase about 90 N and 30 N respectively,when the height increases by 1 mm.It provides an important basis for the accurate control of hemming trajectory and the improvement of manufacturing quality of autobody closure panels.

Application and comparison of different anisotropic yield criteria in the formability analysis of aluminum sheet

The application of four widely used anisotropic yield criteria,namely,Hill'48,Hill'90,Barlat'89,and Yld2000,on the formability analysis of an automobile aluminum sheet is investigated. The applicability and reliability of these four yield criteria are identified on the basis of uniaxial tensile and stamping tests of an aluminum covering panel by embedding the specimen in the corresponding finite element models. Results show that the strain distribution and safety margin of the aluminum sheet after stamping can be predicted with a high accuracy by applying Yld2000 compared to those subjected to the three other yield criteria. The significant effects of the anisotropic plastic characteristics of the aluminum sheet on stamping are discussed by applying the advanced simulation technology.

Discrete element and finite element coupling simulation and experiment of hot granule medium pressure forming

The granule medium of discreteness is supposed to be continuous（Drucker-Prager model） in the existing finite element simulation analysis on the hot granule medium pressure forming（HGMF） process, so the granule medium may produce tensile stress in the process of pressure-transferring and flowing, which does not coincide with the reality. The analysis method, discrete element and finite element（DE-FE） coupling simulation, is proposed to solve the problem. The material parameters of simulation model are obtained by the pressure-transfer performance test of granule medium and the hot uniaxial tensile test of sheet metal. The DE-FE coupling simulation platform is established by adopting Visual Basic language. The features in the process that AA7075-T6 conical parts are formed by the HGMF process are analyzed and verified by the process test. The studies show that the results of DE-FE coupling simulation coincide well with the test results, which provides a new analysis method to solve the mechanics problem in the coupling of discrete and continuum.

Hot Granules Medium Pressure Forming Process of AA7075 Conical Parts

High strength aluminum alloy plate has a low elongation at room temperature, which leads to the forming of its components need a high temperature. Liquid or gas is used as the pressure-transfer medium in the existing flexible mould forming process, the heat resistance of the medium and pressurizing device makes the application of aluminum alloy plate thermoforming restricted. To solve this problem, the existing medium is replaced by the heat-resisting solid granules and the general pressure equipments are applied. Based on the pressure-transfer performance test of the solid granules medium, the feasibility that the assumption of the extended Drucker-Prager linear model can be used in the finite element analysis is proved. The constitutive equation, the yield function and the theoretical forming limit diagram（FLD） of AA7075 sheet are established. Through the finite element numerical simulation of hot granules medium pressure forming（HGMF） process, not only the influence laws of the process parameters, such as forming temperature, the blank-holder gap and the diameter of the slab, on sheet metal forming performance are discussed, but also the broken area of the forming process is analyzed and predicted, which are coincided with the technological test. The conical part whose half cone angle is 15° and relative height H/d0 is 0.57, is formed in one process at 250℃. The HGMF process solves the problems of loading and seal in the existing flexible mould forming process and provides a novel technology for thermoforming of light alloy plate, such as magnesium alloy, aluminium alloy and titanium alloy.

Quasi-static-dynamic formability of AA5052-O sheet under uniaxial and plane-strain tension

An experimental study on the quasi-static-dynamic formability specified in electromagnetically assisted sheet metal stamping(EMAS)was presented.A series of uniaxial and plane-strain tensile experiments were carried out on AA5052-O sheet by using a combined quasi-static stretching and pulsed electromagnetic forming(EMF)method.Failure strains representing formability beyond conventional quasi-static forming limits are observed under both uniaxial tensile and plane-strain states.The total forming limits of the as-received aluminum alloy undergoing both low and high quasi-static pre-straining are almost similar in quasi-static-dynamic deformation.Ultimate total formability seems to depend largely on the high-velocity loading conditions.Thus, it appears that for quasi-static-dynamic deformation,the quasi-static pre-straining of material is not of primary importance to the additionally useful formability.These observations will enable to develop forming operations that take advantage of this improvement in formability,and will also enable the use of a quasi-static preform fairly close to the quasi-static forming limits without weakening its total formability for design of an EMAS process in shaping large aluminum shell parts like auto body panels.

Calibration of anisotropic yield function by introducing plane strain test instead of equi-biaxial tensile test

The equi-biaxial tensile test is often required for parameter identification of anisotropic yield function and it demands thespecial testing technique or device. Instead of the equi-biaxial tensile test, the plane strain test carried out with the traditional uniaxialtesting machine is suggested to provide the experimental data for calibration of anisotropic yield function. This simplified method byusing plane strain test was adopted to identify the parameters of Yld2000-2d yield function for 5xxx aluminum alloy and AlMgSialloy sheets. The predicted results of yield stresses, anisotropic coefficients and yield loci by the proposed method were very similarwith the experimental data and those by the equi-biaxial tensile test. It is validated that the plane strain test is effective to provideexperimental data instead of equi-biaxial tensile test for calibration of Yld2000-2d yield function.

Research on technological parameters of pressure forming with hot granule medium on AA7075 sheet

Hot granule medium pressure forming （HGMF） process is a new process in which granule medium replaces the medium in existing flexible-die hot forming process, such as liquids, gases or viscous medium. Hot forming of light alloy sheet parts can be realized based on the properties of granule medium, such as withstanding high temperature and pressure, filling well, sealing and loading easily. In this work, the forming of AA7075 cylindrical parts by HGMF process is taken as an example to establish the constitutive relation and forming limit diagram （FLD） of AA7075 sheet which is related to temperature by hot uniaxial tensile test of sheet metal. Based on the assumption that granule medium is applied to extended Drucker-Prager linear material model, the finite element model of HGMF process is established and the effect of technological parameters, such as forming temperature, blank-holder gap and drawing ratio, on the sheet metal formability, is studied. The limit drawing ratio curve of AA7075 cylindrical parts at forming temperature of 175-300 ℃ is obtained by HGMF process test, and the limit drawing ratio reaches the maximum value of 1.71 at 250 ℃. The results of numerical simulation are consistent with the results of process test, and the forming force, distribution of wall thichness and form of instability are predicted correctly, which provides reference for the application of HGMF process.

Stress-strain analysis on AA7075 cylindrical parts during hot granule medium pressure forming

Hot granule medium pressure forming(HGMF) is a technology in which heat-resistant granules are used to replace liquids or gases in existing flexible-die forming technology as pressure-transfer medium. Considering the characteristic of granule medium that seals and loads easily, the technology provides a new method to realize the hot deep-drawing forming on high strength aluminum alloy sheet. Based on the pressure-transfer performance test of granule medium and the material performance test of AA7075-T6 sheet, plastic mechanics analysis is conducted for the areas, such as the flange area, force-transfer area and free deforming area, of cylindrical parts deep-drawn by HGMF technology, and the function relation of forming pressure is obtained under the condition of nonuniform distribution of internal pressure. The comparison between theoretical result and experimental data shows that larger deviation occurs in the middle and later period of forming process, and the maximum theoretical forming force is less than the experimental value by 24.6%. The variation tendency of the theoretical thickness curve is close to the practical situation, and the theoretical value basically agrees well with experimental value in the flange area and the top area of spherical cap which is in the free deforming area.

Investigation of the Capabilities of Yield Functions on Describing the Deformation Behavior of 5754O Aluminum Alloy Sheet Under Combined Loading Paths

The combined loading tests of 5754 O aluminum alloy sheet are used to verify the yield function. Three yield functions are implemented into the commercial finite element model(FEM) code ABAQUS as a user material subroutine UMAT for the FEM simulation of the combined loading tests. The comparison of the simulating and experimental results shows that the modified Yld2000-2d yield function can describe the mechanical behavior of5754 O aluminum alloy sheet under combined loading paths reasonably while other three yield functions do not.The performance of the modified Yld2000-2d yield function on describing the mechanical behavior under combined loading paths is analyzed in detail. It is concluded that the modified Yld2000-2d yield function can be adopted to describe the deformation behavior of 5754 O aluminum alloy sheet for industrial applications.

Formability of AA 2219-O sheet under quasi-static,electromagnetic dynamic,and mechanical dynamic tensile loadings

The mechanism by which electromagnetic forming(EMF)enhances the formability of metals is unclear owing to the coupling effect of multi-physics fields.In the present work,the associated formability improvement mechanisms were qualitatively categorized and illustrated.This was realized by comparing the formability of fully annealed 2219 aluminum alloy(AA 2219-O)sheet under quasi-static(QS),electromagnetic dynamic(EM),and mechanical dynamic(MD)tensile loadings.It was found that the forming limit of AA 2219-O sheet under EM tensile loading was significantly(45.4%)higher than that under QS tensile loading,and was marginally(3.7%–4.3%)higher than that under MD tensile loading.In addition,the forming limit of AA 2219-O sheet demonstrated a negative dependency on the strain rate within the range of the dynamic tensile tests conducted.The deformation conditions common to EM and MD tensile loadings were responsible for the significant formability improvement compared with QS tensile loading.In particular,the inertial effect was dominant.The different deformation conditions that distinguish EM tensile loading from MD tensile loading resulted in the marginal improvement in formability.This was caused by the absence of a sustaining contact force at the later deformation stage and the lower strain rate.The body force exerted little influence on the formability improvement,and the thermal effect under the two dynamic tensile loadings was negligible.

Influence of uniaxial tensile pre-strain on forming limit curve by using biaxial tensile test

This paper focused on the effect of pre-strain on forming limit curves(FLC)of 5754-O aluminum alloy sheet through utilizing biaxial tensile approach.Based on Swift model and Yld2000-2 d yield criterion,the dimensions of cruciform specimen was optimized through applying finite element method for increasing the strain at specimen center.After that,with the recommended specimen size,the cruciform specimen was tested under various stroke ratios to experimentally characterize the limit strains under different pre-strain levels.Subsequently,the biaxial tensile tests were simulated by Abaqus to obtain the limit strains and validate the material models.It can be observed in both experiments and simulations that the pre-strained uniaxial tension followed by plane tension or equi-biaxial tension can improve the formability of sheet metals.Besides,the strain path change affects the trend of first derivative of strain rate difference between neighboring points with respect to time.An early increase occurred and then fell back to the stable value,the steady evolution continued until to a new increase reaching the critical value.The M–K prediction approach was simulated to verify the influence of pre-strain on FLC.It can be found that the early increase peaks of the major strain incremental ratio rose with the amplitude of pre-strain.Finally,the phenomenon of pseudolocalization caused by the strain path change was explained through evolution of stress state inside the groove.