Influence of Pre-Forming on the Forming Limit Diagram of Aluminum and Steel Sheets

This paper presents a method for the experimental determination of forming limit diagrams under non linear strain paths. The method consists in pre-forming the sheets under two different strain conditions: uniaxial and biaxial, and then stretching the samples, cut out of the preformed sheets, using a Nakajima testing setup. The optical deformation measurement system used for the process analysis (ARAMIS, Company GOM) allows to record and to analyze the strain distribution very precisely with respect to both time and space. As a reference also the FLDs of the investigated grades (the deep drawing steel DC04, the dual phase steel DP450 and the aluminum alloy AA5754) in as-received conditions were determined. The results show as expected an influence of the pre-forming conditions on the forming limit of the materials, with an increased formability in the case of biaxial stretching after uniaxial pre-forming and a reduced formability for uniaxial load after biaxial stretching if compared to the case of linear strain paths. These effects can be observed for all the investigated materials and can be also described in terms of a shifting of the FLD, which is related to the art and magnitude of the pre-deformation.