Key Engineering Materials Vol. 639

Abstract: This paper shows the characterisation of a new composite material for architectural applications. The stainless steel and polyethylene laminate offers new possibilities in forming optically pleasing facade shapes. A selection of possible structures is presented as a result of extensive simulation studies. The presented structures are generated with a new pneumo-mechanical stretch forming process.

Abstract: A focus on the effect of friction condition on tube hydroforming during corner filling in a square section die is proposed. Three approaches have been developed: an analytical model from the literature has been programmed, finite element simulations have been conducted and experiments have been carried out. Effect of friction coefficient on the thickness distribution in the square section of the hydroformed tube is studied. Critical thinning is found to take place in the transition zone between the straight wall and the corner radius and this minimal thickness seems to be the more appropriate parameter for the evaluation of the friction coefficient.

Abstract: Deep drawing is one of widely used sheet metal working process in industries to produce cup shaped components at a very high rate. In deep drawing process, a sheet metal blank form cylindrical components by process in which central portion of sheet is pressed into die opening to draw the metal into desired shape without folding the corners. Earing is one of the major defects observed during deep drawing process due to anisotropic nature of sheet metal. Earing is defined as formation of waviness on uppermost portion of deep drawn cup. Knowledge about ear formation in deep drawing process allows a prior modification of process which can result in defect free final product with financial saving and time. The initial blank shape used in present study is circular in nature.The objective of present study aims to produce parts which are earing defect free. Earing can be reduced by modifying the initial blank shape such as use of non circular blank as in present study. Efforts have been made to study the earing problem in deep drawing of cylindrical cups by finite element modeling software HYPERWORK-12 and Incremental RADIOSS as solver. The blank material selected for study is EN10130FeP06 mild steel sheet of 1mm thickness as it has wide application in fabricating automobile parts. Mechanical parameters of mild steel are incorporated in finite element simulation of deep drawing process. Significant earing was observed at rolling and transverse direction on deformed cup form circular blank. Modification of initial blank is done to reduce the earing defect. The results show significant reduction of % earing height and drawing load as well as improvement in maximum thickness variations.

Abstract: Due to the increasing number of electronics in several industrial sectors, especially in the automotive industry, there is a rising demand for flexible and adaptable electronic systems with high functional density and resilience. An efficient method for producing such parts is the encapsulation of metal inserts, for example lead frames, by means of assembly injection moulding. Often such parts are exposed to water and moist at the place of action. Thus, one major challenge is to provide electronics with enduring media tightness in a severe environment. The research work covered in this paper focuses on embossing surface structures in metal inserts for subsequent assembly injection moulding. The influence of geometrical parameters of the embossed profile on both the material flow and the accuracy of the created structure are investigated. For this purpose experimental as well as numerical results are presented. Furthermore, the performance of embossed inserts in subsequent assembly injection moulding is analysed.

Abstract: A common processing stress state used in the construction of sheet metal components is that of uniaxial tension/stretching. This work examines the stretching of CP-Ti over a rigid form tool using varying degrees of strain and strain rate. The degree of springback is shown to be influenced by the interaction of strain rate, strain magnitude and time following forming.

Abstract: Laser forming or bending is fast becoming an attractive option for the forming of advanced high strength steels (AHSS), due primarily to the reduced formability of AHSS when compared with conventional steels in traditional contact-based forming processes. An inherently iterative process, laser forming must be optimized for efficiency in order to compete with contact based forming processes; as such, a robust and accurate method of optimal process parameter prediction is required. In this paper, goal driven optimization is conducted, utilizing numerical simulations as the basis for the prediction of optimal process parameters for the laser bending of DP 1000 steel. A key consideration of the optimization process is the requirement for minimal micro-structural transformation in automotive grade high strength steels such as DP 1000.

Abstract: The dissolution of co-clusters in AlMgSi-alloys by a short term heat treatment can be used to locally adjust the mechanical properties of a blank for a following forming operation. This approach is known as Tailored Heat Treated Blanks (THTB) and allows to significant enhance the forming limits of AlMgSi-alloys. However, the dissolution of co-clusters leads to the observation of the Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) effect during deformation. The results are stretcher strain marks at the surface which are a limitation for potential applications of THTB. In contrast to AlMg-alloys, a critical strain rate above which no PLC effect occurs is not observed for the investigated alloys. This paper investigates various influence factors on the occurrence of the PLC effect for different AlMgSi-alloys and presents an approach under which conditions THTB can be used in applications with high demand on surface quality.

Abstract: The on-going trend to lightweight construction leads to a special focus on plane lattice structures as an alternative for solid metal plates. They demonstrate similar mechanical properties while taking up only a fraction of the normal material input and are thus economically favourable. Additionally, they fulfil functional and design aspects and therefore are used by several industries like the automobile. Nevertheless, the two most common types of lattice structures – perforated metal plates and expended metal plates – are either waste intensive or uneven and hence require additional rolling of the metal plate.Therefore, within this contribution a new and innovative approach for the production of plane lattice structures will be presented. The manufacturing process thereby consists of two steps. At first, a specially designed pattern is cut into metal plates via a laser. Subsequently, the plates are formed under uniaxial tension to realize the lattice structures. Based on the cutting length, cutting space and the row space different blanks with tailored lattice structures can be produced. From the experimental results first guidelines for the design of suitable patterns are derived. The investigations will be performed with precipitation hardenable aluminium AA6014.

Abstract: Bendability is an important material property for ultra-high strength steel. The bendability of a certain material is expressed as the minimum bending radius R_min of the inner surface of the bend and expressed in multiples of the sheet thickness. Bendability is limited by either cracking on the surface or the edges of the bend or by surface waviness that usually precedes cracking on the outer surface. Surface waviness is a form of strain localization in bending and the intensity of the phenomenon is dependent on e.g. the punch radius, the lower tool width and the sheet thickness. In this study the bendability of a 960MPa grade steel was investigated using optical strain measurements of three-point bending tests to determine the strain level and the bending angle when localization starts with different punch radii. The unbent samples were marked with a grid using laser marking and the deformation was measured with the GOM ARGUS strain analysis system after bending. The quality of the bend was also evaluated visually. In addition, tensile tests were performed and evaluated with the GOM ARAMIS deformation analysis system to investigate the local mechanical properties of the studied steel. The results of strain measurements and visual evaluation were then compared. It was found that beyond a certain angle the maximum strain across the bend did not significantly change with further increases in the bending angle when the punch radius was at least three times the sheet thickness. But with smaller punch radii the maximum strain increased almost linearly with increasing bending angle until fracture appeared. With the smaller punch radii deformation localizes and surface waviness begins to form in smaller bending angles because the deformation is concentrated in a narrow zone.

Abstract: So far, determining the necessary precut dimensions of metal sheets prior to bending has been an unsolved question. During the last decades numerous calculation methods have been suggested. However, comparing these different methods indicates that different calculation methods suggest diverging precut dimensions. Especially in roll-forming, where multiple bend operations occur within the same bend part, these differences between several calculation methods can add up to some millimetres. The accuracy of presently available methods can hardly be compared. Thus an optimized method is needed. One possibility to determine the initial sheet width is identifying the position of the unlengthened layer in the bend zone. This study compares the position of the unlengthened layer determined in experiments and numerical simulations for different bend geometries and materials. The results indicate that even state of the art measuring technique is not accurate enough to determine the position of the unlengthened layer properly. Due to high measurement uncertainties, numerical simulations are required to assess the influence of geometry or material parameters on the position of the unlengthened layer. However, combining numerical and experimental results shows that the geometry of the bend part influences the position of the unlengthened layer and thus the required precut dimension. In contrast, a significant influence of material strength on the position of the unlegthened layer was not found.