Papers by Keyword: Material Characterization

Abstract: Process simulation software for hot press forming requires accurate material characterizations. One of these characterizations is tool-ply friction, for which the methodology is well established. However, the experimental conditions are often not representative for the actual forming process. This research focuses on the effect of release agent and heating time on the tool-ply friction response. UD carbon fiber-reinforced PEKK was forced to slide against metal foils in a benchmarked friction tester at different rates, normal pressures and temperatures. The typical friction response, exhibiting a shear stress overshoot followed by a steady-state region, did not qualitatively change when applying a Marbocote 227CEE release agent on the metal foils. However, the overshoot reduced and, in case of a high normal pressure of 45 kPa, the steady-state response lowered as well. Thus, release agent should be included for a more accurate characterization of tool-ply friction. A longer heating time resulted in a large increase of the overshoot, whereas the steady-state response was nearly unaffected. The same observation was made when testing at a higher temperature, which may suggest that the increase in overshoot is due to increased adhesive bonding. Moreover, a change in adhesive bonding could also explain the lower overshoot observed when a release agent was applied, indicating adhesion as a key mechanism for tool-ply friction.

Abstract: For the evaluation of final component properties under consideration of production-induced material characteristics, it is necessary to determine the mechanical parameters of parts and structures. Thus, there is a need of new test methods for the material characterization and quality control of produced goods. The miniaturization of the test specimens offers the potential for the local testing of the material properties at almost any position on the component. However, due to the reduction in size of the test specimens, size effects can occur which may affect the material behavior. For this reason, this contribution analyses the influence of size effects on the derived material parameters in dependence of the specimen size and material by using upsetting tests according to DIN 50106:2016 standard. The materials Cu-OFE (copper), X5CrNi18-10 (stainless steel) and AA7075-T6 (aluminum) are investigated to ensure a broad transferability of the findings. The specimens are cut from a bar stock by using a high precision 3D micro electrical discharge milling machining. Due to the small size, every specimen is measured with an optical 3D coordinate measuring system to determine the exact size. Through these investigations, the reproducibility and scatter in the determination of material properties for scaled cylindrical upsetting specimens are evaluated. Furthermore, limits of geometric dimensions at constant aspect ratios are derived. The results of this investigation enable an estimation of the geometrical influence of the specimen size in regard to the mechanical properties.

Abstract: With the goal to define a cost-effective and efficient process to identify adequate materials for sheet metal forming processes, it is crucial to evaluate the formability of materials. Forming limit curves (FLC) are used to analyze the forming and failure limits of sheet metals and dependence of the major (φ₁) and minor strain (φ₂) from the uniaxial stress-strain area through the plane-strain point to the biaxial strain area. According to ISO 12004-2, the FLC is performed by Nakajima or Marciniak tests. Due to the experimental setup and the preconditions, pre-stretching occurs in the specimens and bending and friction effect are the result. The determination of the onset of necking (FLC) results mathematically from a “best-fit inverse parabola” on section lines. In addition, the failure point, i.e. the maximum strain value one frame before failure, is also analyzed. In contrast, tensile, notched tensile and hydraulic bulge tests, which together have a potential to map an alternative FLC, exhibits a linear strain path evolution. The behavior of the various strain paths of Nakajima and the alternative methods are examined for necking and cracking. Furthermore, the fracture surfaces are investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy to identify influences of the different FLC methods on the fracture mechanics. FLCs were conducted with the Nakajima and the alternative FLC characterization method for a ductile steel (DX54D). To ensure transferability, the tensile tests are also performed with a high-strength steel (DP800). The FLC of the ductile steel, generated through the alternative method, exhibits a similar shape to the Nakajima generated FLC with the advantage of a constant strain rate leading to linear strain paths and a lower number of tests. The same results are achieved for the uniaxial strain tests with DP800.

Abstract: The reduction of weight is crucial in the automotive sector to reach a lower energy consumption and an increased range, especially for electrically powered vehicles. In this regard, body-in-white parts offer a high potential for the application of lightweight construction. The required weight savings can be achieved by implementing parts with a high strength-to-weight ratio. A promising approach is the combination of lightweight materials and lightweight design, which can be realized by tubular components made of high strength aluminum. Due to their structural stiffness and high crashworthiness, those structures are often used as safety-relevant car body components. However, the material characterization of tube profiles is a major challenge, which in turn impedes an accurate numerical simulation and precise process design. In contrast to flat semi-finished parts, various effects of the production process and the geometry, regarding the stress state under load, must be taken into account. For this purpose, adapted testing methods considering the geometrical and mechanical properties of the tubular parts have to be investigated, in order to generate an accurate material model and process design. Within this research work, tubular components made out of AA7020 in W-temper condition were used to analyze the mechanical properties. In this regard, several tensile specimens are milled from a tube, so they also have a curvature profile. The experimental tensile tests have been performed at different strain rates by using an universal testing machine from type Gleeble 3500. To ensure a proper measurement of the mechanical properties, the clamping jaws of the testing machine are adjusted to the curved samples. The investigated material parameters are subsequently transferred to an FE-Model with curved specimen to enable an accurate prediction of the forming behavior. In addition, an FE model of a flat tensile specimen was also created for comparison, in order to gain a profound knowledge regarding the influence of the geometric and mechanical properties of tubular components.

Abstract: Laser-based directed energy deposition (DED-LB/M) allows the application of a wear-resistant metal coating to the surface of a sheet metal substrate. Subsequent deep drawing of the part enables high material efficiency, significantly shorter production times, and lower unit costs compared to, for example, solely machined production of the entire component. At the same time, energy-intensive global heat treatment strategies can be avoided. For the numerical analysis of such hybrid process chains, both the sheet metal substrate and the additively applied coating are usually characterized individually. However, the low thickness of the coating in combination with a relatively high welding depth, which is required for a good bond to the sheet metal substrate during subsequent forming, lead to a strong gradient of the mechanical properties as well as complex mechanical interactions in the bonding zone. Therefore, appropriate characterization methods are required. In this work, an investigation of different influencing factors, like the rolling, hatch and tensile direction, is carried out with the aid of tensile tests using hybrid specimens. In this way, interactions between the influencing factors are identified. As substrate, 3.5 mm thick 16MnCr5 blanks are used, with an approximately 0.68 mm thick coating of Bainidur^® AM. In addition, an optical surface roughness measurement and metallographic analysis of the tensile specimen’s edge area after laser cutting is performed.

Abstract: Many mechanical material properties show a dependence on the strain rate, e.g. yield stress or elongation at fracture. The quantitative description of the material behavior under dynamic loading is of major importance for the evaluation of crash safety. This is carried out using numerical methods and requires characteristic values for the materials used. For the standardized determination of dynamic characteristic values in sheet metal materials, tensile tests performed according to the guideline from [1]. A particular challenge in dynamic tensile tests is the force measurement during the test. For this purpose, strain gauges are attached on each specimen, wired to the measuring equipment and calibrated. This is a common way to determine a force signal that is as low in vibration and as free of bending moments as possible. The preparation effort for the used strain gauges are enormous. For these reasons, an optical method to determine the force by strain measurement using DIC is presented. The experiments are carried out on a high speed tensile testing system. In combioantion with a 3D DIC high speed system for optical strain measurement. The elastic deformation of the specimen in the dynamometric section is measured using strain gauges and the optical method. The measured signals are then compared to validate the presented method. The investigations are conducted using the dual phase steel material HCT590X and the aluminum material EN AW-6014 T4. Strain rates of up to 240 s-1 are investigated.

Abstract: Numerical process design leads to cost and time savings in sheet metal forming processes. Therefore, a modeling of the material behavior is required to map the flow properties of sheet metal. For the identification of current yield criteria, the yield strength and the hardening behavior as well as the Lankford coefficients are taken into account. By considering the anisotropy as a function of rolling direction and stress state, the prediction quality of anisotropic materials is improved by a more accurate modeling of the yield locus curve. According to the current state of the art, the layer compression test is used to determine the corresponding Lankford coefficient for the biaxial tensile stress state. However, the test setup and the test procedure is quite challenging compared to other tests for the material characterization. Due to this, the test is only of limited suitability if only the Lankford coefficient has to be determined. In this contribution, a simplified test is presented. It is a reduction of the layer compression test to one single sheet layer. So the Lankford coefficient for the biaxial tensile stress state can be analyzed with a significantly lower test effort. The results prove the applicability of the proposed test for an easy and time efficient characterization of the biaxial Lankford coefficient.

Abstract: Post-irradiation data on the neutron-induced swelling behaviour and resistivity changes in silicon carbide often does not show a clear trend. This makes a quantitative comparison between different studies difficult. To address the diverging results after irradiation in different studies, a thorough reference study is performed on high quality β-silicon carbide. The results show the response to neutron irradiation may be significantly influenced by structural defects present before irradiation. These findings open a way to improve the accuracy of silicon carbide irradiation temperature monitors.

Abstract: Material characteristics at high strain rates are used for various applications involving high speed loading, one of which is plasticity-based impact energy absorbers. In this paper, experimental result of Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SPHB) test of three common structural steels is reported and discussed. The three materials consist of JIS G3101 SS400, API5L Grade B, and S355JR. The material characteristics are presented in Johnson-Cook constitutive equations, and the corresponding parameters have been found through curve fitting. The results are comparable with those of literatures for other carbon steels, hence the acquired data may enrich the database of constitutive equations for various materials, especially carbon steels. The data can then be used for crashworthiness simulation in the future with the corresponding materials.

Abstract: TiO₂ has become a widely investigated photocatalyst because of its low cost, low toxicity and high photocatalytic activity under UV irradiation that causes photocatalytic decomposition of organic compounds. Impurities dopant and metal are often used to acquire impurities doped or metal doped TiO₂ powder by a sol-gel method. In this paper, we made nitrogen doped TiO₂ by a simple process. TiO₂ (P25) thin films with 80 % of anatase and 20 % of rutile were fabricated on FTO glass by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). These were then doped with nitrogen by using urea and sintered in electric furnace at 500 and 600 degrees Celsius. EPD was superior for film formation at dispersibility. We calculated absorbance spectra of nitrogen doped TiO₂ thin film fabricated on FTO glass. As the result, 600 degrees Celsius is superior sintering temperature at absorbance under visible light than 500 degrees Celsius. Moreover, when the samples sintered at 600 degrees Celsius, each additive amount had different increment of absorbance in specific visible light range. This result indicates the improvement in visible-light response on TiO₂ by the simple process. To further research, it is essential to make nitrogen doped TiO₂ under pressure and measure the photodegradation reaction.