Advanced Materials Research Vols. 6-8

Abstract: The use of quenched boron steel components is an economic way to achieve significant improvements in terms of weight saving and crash performance. The material and process knowledge on the hot stamping of boron steels (e.g. Arcelor’s USIBOR 1500 P®) by the stampers needs to be extended and accurate simulation tools must be developed to support the growth of this forming technology. This paper simultaneously addresses the specific requirements of the hot stamping simulation and the current state of the art in this field. A specific approach is presented for the detection of the process limits within the simulation tool. A software chain has been set up with the target to decrease the computation times.

Abstract: In recent years very strong efforts have been undertaken to build light weight structures of car bodies in the automotive industry. Structural technologies like Space Frame, tailored blanks and relief-embossed panels are well-known and already in use. Beside that there is a large assortment of design materials with low density or high strength. Magnesium alloys are lighter by approximately 34 percent than aluminum alloys and are considered to be the lightest metallic design material. However forming processes of magnesium sheet metal are difficult due to its complex plasticity behavior. Strain rate sensitivity, asymmetric and softening yield behavior of magnesium are leading to a complex description of the forming process. Asymmetric yield behavior means different yield stress depending on tensile or compressive loading. It is well-known that elevated temperatures around 200°C improve the local flow behavior of magnesium. Experiments show that in this way the forming limit curves can be considerably increased. So far the simulation of the forming process including temperature, strain rates and plastic asymmetry is not state-of-the-art. Moreover, neither reliable material data nor standardized testing procedures are available. According to the great attractiveness of magnesium sheet metal parts there is a serious need for a reliable modeling of the virtual process chain including the specification of required mechanical properties. An existing series geometry which already can be made of magnesium at elevated temperatures is calculated using the finite element method. The results clarify the failings of standard calculation methods and show potentials of its improvement.

Abstract: Thanks to the low weight, magnesium alloys feature high specific strength and stiffness properties. Thus they prove to be promising materials for todays ambitious automotive light weight construction efforts. Due to their comparative low formability at room temperature the process of magnesium sheet hydroforming can be improved at temperatures higher than 200 °C by the activation of additional sliding planes. This paper illustrates the determination of mechanical properties for the hydroforming of magnesium sheets at elevated temperature. In particular the mechanical behavior at elevated temperature was investigated by means of the tensile test and of the hydraulic bulge test. For the determination of the strains an optical measurement system was introduced into the experimental set-up. The exact knowledge of the strain condition in the area of diffuse necking enabled the determination of the flow curve in the tensile test also beyond the uniform elongation. The influence of temperature and strain rate was analyzed as well as the influence of uni- and biaxial stress state on the flow curve. Using circular and elliptic dies with different aspect ratio the hydraulic bulge test served to determinate the forming limit curves at three different elevated temperatures.

Abstract: In the automotive industry a general tendency to choose steels with enhanced strength for structural parts can be observed. This trend results from the increased lightweight design efforts to satisfy the fleet consumption restrictions. Hot forming and quenching of boron steel offers the possibility to improve the component strength and reduce the weight of structural parts. The main influences on the process are described and a method to model and simulate this process using the finite element method using LS-DYNA is presented. Experimental investigations of the contact heat transfer have been carried out to enhance the simulation accuracy. A prototyping tool of a structural part is used to examine the process under production conditions. Temperatures of the tool and the part are measured during the process. These temperatures are compared with the simulation results in order to reevaluate the results of the process simulation.

Abstract: Basic research concerning the material properties of the hot stamping steel 22MnB5 has been carried out. A survey is given about the as-delivered conditions with hardness tests, micrographs and flow curves. The process window of the austenitization time, before hot stamping can take place, is defined by austenitization tests. Also a new experimental set-up to detect the cooling rate in dependency on the contact pressure is presented. In addition to that the cooling experiments were simulated with ABAQUS and the heat transfer coefficient for each contact pressure is determined by inverse modeling.

Abstract: The blanking of thin sheet metals using progressive dies is an important process on production of precision electronic machine parts. As a model of IC leadframe, an I-shaped and an Lshaped models were blanked and influences of blanking conditions on dimensional accuracy of blanked lead were examined. Furthermore, a mechanical model is proposed to explain the affect of the blanking conditions on product accuracy. In these days, more fine leads are required as electronic machines become more precise and accurate. It must be treated that leads are firmly held for blanking leadframes accurately. In this paper, an effective method of stripper holding leads strongly are discussed and a new method using newly designed stripper is proposed. Consequently the effect of it on lead accuracy is proved.

Abstract: Laser cutting is a well-established sheet metal processing method. Nowadays a trend towards the cutting of thick plates (> 15 mm) can be observed. However for these thick plates the process window in which good cutting results can be obtained is more narrow compared to that for thin sheets due to the very difficult balance to be found between the different process parameters. Even after determination of the process window, a good cutting quality cannot always be guaranteed. Therefore cutting of thick plates is still characterized by a large scrap percentage, which impedes a breakthrough to large scale industrial use. A solution to this problem is to incorporate a sensor system in the laser cutting machine that monitors the cut quality on-line. This monitoring system could then be integrated in a process control system, which adapts the process parameters in function of the observed cut quality in real time. In this way a good cut quality could always be guaranteed. In this study, the first step in this direction, the determination of an appropriate monitoring system, is dealt with. The applicability for monitoring purposes of two types of sensors is investigated: a microphone and a photodiode. For both types, correlation between the sensor output and the cut quality is investigated in a qualitative way. The scope of the reported research was not limited to contour cutting, also piercing is covered in the study.

Abstract: The application of high-tensile sheet metal materials in car body construction requires the development of new production strategies for preparing sheet metal part edges where laser welding operations have to be performed. Using up this sheet materials in cutting processes for car bodies lead to higher stressing of active tool parts. To arrive the same tool life quantities as is presently the standard in the production process using conventional materials it is necessary to modify the tool designs for cutting tools, to determine well adapted tool materials and coatings, to choose modified lubricants and to optimize the surface quality of tools for cutting operations.

Abstract: At present, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the sheet metal industry performing 3-d laser cutting have to invest a considerable amount of time in offer preparation, although there is a low probability of obtaining the order. The offer calculation is mostly done manually and rapidly, as estimation. For example, the length of the contours to be cut are extracted from drawings and summed up. The actual production time for problem areas of the workpiece geometry like sharp angles and narrow radii can only be calculated by a post-processor simulation, or by a comparison with a similar workpiece that was manufactured before. This complicates the cost calculation and adds an unknown factor to it. Therefore, only experienced employees can estimate the costs for the cutting of 3-d workpieces. The aim of the proposed automatic cost calculation algorithm is the quick machining time calculation for 3-d laser cutting. Less experienced persons should be able to use a pre-configured tool. Characteristic numbers are generated on the basis of the workpiece geometry. They describe all necessary machine work that is required to manufacture the current workpiece. In a next step, the dynamic machine behaviour for these problem areas needs to be examined. It is projected to specific machine parameters. As example the acceleration and the maximum cutting velocity are basic parameters. By connecting the characteristic numbers with the machine parameters, the machining time for a specific machine is calculated. This machining time is an important factor for the cost calculation. The characteristic numbers can also be used to find similar workpieces within a database. This database contains existing and already evaluated offers. As a plausibility check the user can search for similar offers and compare them with the currently prepared one.