Materials Science Forum Vols. 794-796

Abstract: This paper describes recent experimental results on the strain distributions developed during bending of AA6xxx sheet for automotive applications, together with a new model for the mechanics and metallurgy of strain localization during bending. A detailed microscopic study (optical and SEM/EBSD) shows that damage development during bending to strains of order unity is controlled by through-thickness shear banding at the grain scale. A new finite element microstructure-based model is introduced to predict this strain localization during practical bending. The sheet metal is modelled as a grain aggregate, each grain having its own flow stress. After validation, the model is applied to the experimental results through an analysis of the critical plastic strain at the outer surface during bending of AA6016 sheet alloys. It correctly describes the respective influences of sheet thickness, grain size and shape, and work hardening. In particular the model brings out the primary importance of large-strain hardening and the spread of the flow stress distribution.

Abstract: Aluminium foil is rolled double-layered during the final rolling pass. When the sheets are later separated, the inside surface is dull and the outside surface is shiny. The matt inner side is characterized by significant surface corrugations which are believed to be a precursor for the initiation of fracture upon a subsequent forming operation. Therefore, understanding of the development of the matt side of Al foil will help to control and, eventually, improve the properties of Al foil. It was the goal of the present study to correlate the development of the matt side with the spatial arrangement of the crystallographic orientations of the foil rolling texture. This approach builds on a recent project to correlate the phenomenon of roping in AA 6xxx alloy sheet for car body applications to the occurrence of band-like clusters of grains with similar crystallographic orientation. Large-scale orientation maps obtained by electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) were input into a visco-plastic self-consistent crystal-plasticity model to analyse the strain anisotropy caused by the spatial distribution of the various rolling texture components. The new model is applied to several Al foils with different characteristics of the matt side.

Abstract: Bending and subsequent stretching of sheet materials is typical of many sheet forming operations. Bending and bend-stretching characteristics and limit strain of monolithic AA2024 and laminated tri-layer Alclad 2024 aluminum sheet materials are studied by modeling and experimentation. A computationally efficient analytical model based on advanced bending theory is developed for the laminated sheet materials and utilized to predict the bending characteristics of the above sheet materials. The effects of cladding thickness ratio on the bending characteristics of laminated sheet are compared with the monolithic constituent. Also, predictions from the above analytical bending model are compared with 2D and 3D FE-based bending models. In addition, bend-stretching experiments are conducted using a specialized test jig while continuously recording images using dual-camera set-up from tensile surface and edge of the specimen. A stochastic pattern is applied to the specimen prior to the test and the images are later processed to analyze the development and localization of strains based on digital image correlation (or DIC) method. Strain maps from DIC analysis are utilized to determine the limit strain in the vicinity of the bend line, as well as from FE modeling of bend-stretching tests, using maximum major strain acceleration criterion for localized necking proposed by one of the authors. The results from experimental and modeling work indicate higher limit strains in bend-stretching for Alclad 2024 compared to monolithic AA2024 sheet.

Abstract: In numerical models based on the crystal plasticity theory, various rules are implemented to describe hardening on the slip system level. The rules used are often variations of the Mecking-Kocks law, where the statistically stored dislocation density is the single internal variable. The dislocation density evolution equation consists of two terms representing accumulation and annihilation of dislocations. The accumulation term depends on a scalar parameter and an interaction matrix, which describes the contribution of all slip systems to the accumulation of the dislocations on a given slip system. Physically this matrix represents the relative strength of various dislocation locks which form when dislocations from different slip systems interact. The numerical values of the elements of the interaction matrix are rather hard to establish, but this has been done experimentally for different alloys and also based on numerical simulations. The obtained values, found in literature, are very different from each other. We use some new experimental data in an attempt to establish the influence of the numerical values of the elements of the interaction matrix on the hardening of a polycrystal.

Abstract: Al-Mg-Si alloys are usually applied a T4 temper as the plate material for automobile bodies due to the necessity of a high bake hardening property. Many reports about the improvement in the bendability of Al-Mg-Si alloys applied a T4 temper have been published, because they easily crack during the hemming process. On the other hand, Al-Mg-Si alloys applied T6 and T7 tempers are used as the material of wiring plates and heat radiation devices. A high electrical conductivity and good bendability are necessary for these devices. In this study, the effect of the aging conditions on the bendability was investigated. As a result, the bendability at the T6 temper significantly decreased. The bendability under the aging temper, and over the aging temper was better than that at the T6 temper. Samples treated by natural-aging at high temperature before the T6 temper easily cracked during the bending test. It was postulated that the formation of shear bands was significant and the bendability decreased during the bending test under the high density and fine β phase precipitate conditions.

Abstract: Reducing weight is one of the most important challenges in the automotive industry. A wheel design which enables to reduce weight from 13.5 kg to 10 kg is presented. This achievement is possible thanks to the use of a wide variety of technical processes. The disc is manufactured by Cobapress^TM, a casting/forging process which combines the advantages of a high design freedom, good mechanical properties and the absence of porosities. The alloy used is an A356 aluminum alloy modified with strontium. The rim is made of an AA6082 aluminum alloy which is extruded and flow-formed with a thickness from 3.3 down to 2.2 mm. Finally, the FSW (Friction Stir Welding) allows us to weld the two parts with a cavity to minimize the weight. With this technique the welding of the two different alloys is possible with good mechanical properties, the fracture happens outside of the weld during tensile tests. The final wheels passed bending and radial fatigue tests as well as radial impact tests with success.

Abstract: The paper investigates by numerical modeling the effects of crystallographic texture and grain shape on the shape of the yield surface of aluminum sheet material at small strains. Different representative volume elements (RVEs) of the material are considered. Plane stress state is assumed in the sheet. A rate-dependent model of crystal plasticity (CP) is used in combination with either the full-constraint (FC) Taylor model or the finite element method (FEM) to compute the volume averaged stress of the material. The effect of different crystallographic textures observed in aluminum alloys on the shape of the yield surface is firstly investigated. An analytical yield function is used to generate yield surfaces for the different crystallographic textures. The deviation between the stress states at yielding computed by FC-Taylor model and the analytical yield surface is used to evaluate the capability of the yield function to fit the anisotropic yield surfaces representing different strong crystallographic textures. Two different shapes of the grains are introduced in the RVEs of CP-FEM in order to study the effect of the grain morphology. Small effects of grain shape are found at small strain compared with the marked influence of crystallographic texture.

Abstract: Forming limit diagrams (FLDs) are widely used to assess metal sheet formability. Experimental FLDs are obtained by performing formability tests and determining failure strains. The standard method for detection of forming limits is based on the spatial distribution of the strains and requires formation of a single local neck. Some aluminium alloys, such as AA6016, have a tendency to form multiple strain localizations in formability tests, which can be interpreted as multiple local necks. Thus, use of the standard method is questionable for these aluminium alloys. The present paper presents an alternative, digital-image-correlation-based method for experimental detection of the onset of local necking in an aluminium sheet. The method is based on monitoring the sheet-thickness evolution, and is developed to be user independent and resistant to noise in the measurements. The method can be used in combination with different types of formability tests. The main requirement is that digital image correlation is used for strain measurements. Here, the method is initially tested on uniaxial tension tests of AA6016 aluminium alloy sheets and then extended to formability tests.

Abstract: Plane-strain tension and shear tests were carried out for a fully annealed AA1050 sheet. The tests were simulated numerically with a commercial finite element method (FEM) code using an anisotropic plasticity model including the Yld2004-18p yield function, the associated flow rule and isotropic hardening. The advanced yield function was calibrated by three different methods: using uniaxial tension data combined with FC-Taylor model predictions of the equibiaxial yield stress and r-value, using 201 virtual yield points in stress space, and using a combination of experimental data and virtual yield points (i.e., a hybrid method). The virtual stress points at yielding were provided by the recently proposed Alamel model with the so-called Type III relaxation (Alamel Type III model). FEM simulations of the tests were then made with parameters of Yld2004-18p identified by these three methods. Predicted force-displacement curves were compared to the experimental data, and the accuracy of the parameter identification methods for Yld2004-18p was evaluated based on these comparisons.

Abstract: An experimental 6XXX series aluminum alloy, Al-0.4Mg-1.2Si-0.49Cu-0.14Mn-0.2Fe(wt.%), was cold rolled 73% and the kinetics of its static recovery studied isochronally between 80 to 350°C, and isothermally at 175 and 205°C. Typical recovery is described by an extrinsic property such as yield stress, however, this study utilized the intrinsic dislocation density extracted from x-ray line profile analysis using a modified Williamson-Hall analysis. The static recovery of dislocation density was fit to the models of Nes [Acta Metall. Mater. 43 (1995) 2189–2207], suggesting that recovery is controlled by the migration of jogged screw dislocations assuming no lateral drift during annealing. The model fit of isothermal annealing at 175°C and 205°C yields activation energies of 0.99 and 1.7 eV/at., respectively. The change in energies can be correlated to an observed change in lattice strain with recovery.