Papers by Author: Stefania Bruschi

Abstract: The present work focuses on the correlation between the material tendency to be deformed by incremental sheet forming and the microstructural features that appear during the process itself. The material object of the study is the stainless steel AISI 301L. Single-point incremental forming (SPIF) experiments were carried out and the material formability evaluated. X ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was utilized to determine the fraction of transformed martensite along the wall of formed parts at different levels of thickness reduction. TEM analysis was then employed to analyze the microstructure developed during the SPIF process. Two fundamental deformation mechanisms are observed, which could explain the remarkable material formability achievable during the SPIF process: strain induced martensitic transformation, and deformation twinning. Particularly, deformation twinning (instead of dislocation slip) appears to be the preferred plastic deformation mode of austenite at the early stage of the process, leading to the formation of multiple nano-twins in coarse grains that are responsible for the material ductility enhancement.

Abstract: Hot stamping of High Strength Steels sheets is gaining more and more popularity, particularly in the automotive industry, due to the sound microstructures achieved at the end of the process. The significant improvement of the mechanical properties achieved in the process enables to reduce the initial sheet thickness in favour of cost and fuel consumption reduction. However, a martensitic microstructure implies significant drawbacks in final trimming and cutting operations, which becomes more difficult and expensive due to tools wear and high blanking forces. This paper aims at investigating the performances of non-metallic materials to be used in heated dies, in order to inhibit the martensite formation by locally reducing the sheet cooling rate. To analyze the influence of the main process parameters, a new experimental set-up was designed and developed in a laboratory environment that allow applying controlled pressure and temperatures to HSS metal sheets. An analytical model was set-up in order to evaluate the influence of process conditions on the cooling profiles in different areas of the specimen. Accordingly, experiments were carried out to investigate the material behaviour when cooled in the different conditions. The experimentally acquired temperatures were analyzed and evaluated together with hardness measurements of metal sheets in order to assess the feasibility of the proposed approach in producing microstructurally-tailored components.

Abstract: The paper presents results obtained at two labs, on in Germany and one in Italy, in terms of friction coefficient as function of hot stamping process parameters. Even if the testing procedures and analysis tools to evaluate tribological conditions are different for the two labs, both the approaches show a similar trend as regards the friction coefficient dependence from the process parameters.

Abstract: The paper presents the approaches followed by two labs – LFT at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany) and DIMEG at University of Padua (Italy) – in evaluating formability limits of 22MnB5 sheets when processed under hot stamping conditions. Details about the two testing apparatuses and the testing procedures are outlined, and the results in terms of Forming Limit Curves FLC compared and critically commented.

Abstract: To improve the low formability that HSS sheets exhibit at room temperature, innovative forming technologies like the hot stamping process are currently applied. In order to avoid scaling and decarburization during the heating step, metal sheets coated with a specially developed Al-Si coating are utilized. In the present work the coating characteristics in terms of morphology, surface roughness and tribological behaviour are investigated as function of heating temperature, holding time and cooling rate that are typical of hot stamping processes.

Abstract: The constant demand of increasing performances and safety in vehicle industry has led significant innovations in the materials used in sheet metal forming processes. In particular, multiphase steels and lightweight alloys have known higher and higher importance, thanks to the development of new stamping processes at elevated temperatures, which guarantee, at the same time, better formability, lower springback and more accurate micro-structural control in the formed sheets. With respect to these aspects, the correct design and optimization of the new processes cannot prescind of the mechanical characterization of materials in biaxial stress conditions, especially when it strongly varies according to the stress and temperature. In this paper, a novel experimental set-up is presented for determining the in-plane yield locus of sheet metals at elevated temperatures. A cruciform specimen, whose geometry was optimized by numerical simulation, is used for the study of the yield locus in the range of biaxial tensile stresses. The test machine concept is based on punch-wedge mechanism, which uses the vertical movement of the press for the deformation of the specimen along two perpendicular axes. In the first part of the paper, the optimization of the cruciform specimen by thermo-mechanical FE analyses is outlined. Details on the experimental set-up are then given with the description of the apparatus, the measurement of plastic strains and the heating system for tests at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: Within the scope of this paper, the formability of the press hardenable steel 22MnB5 will be investigated with regard to its anisotropic properties at elevated temperatures under the processing conditions of hot stamping. Two different experimental setups have been realized, one at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg using conductive heating, and the other one at the University of Padova using inductive heating. Both of these equipments enable the characterization of the material anisotropy behavior by performing uniaxial, hot tensile tests in the range of hot stamping temperatures.