Effect of pre-cut hole diameter on deformation mechanics in multi-stage incremental hole flanging of deep drawing quality steel

Incremental hole flanging (IHF) is a relatively new sheet metal forming process to produce intricate shapes without using dedicated punches and dies. The present work focuses on understanding the mechanics of the multi-stage IHF process through experimental studies and the finite element approach. The IHF experiments were performed on deep drawing quality steel sheets with a pre-cut hole diameter of 45 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, and 70 mm. The cylindrical flanges were formed in four stages with an initial wall angle of 60° to a final angle 90° with an angle increment of 10° in each stage. The maximum and minimum hole expansion ratio was found to be 2.06 and 1.17 respectively. The fracture was observed in a blank of 45 mm pre-cut hole diameter in the third stage at 40 mm depth. The fracture forming limit diagram (FFLD) was determined from incrementally formed varying wall angle conical and pyramidal frustums. Consequently, six different ductile damage models incorporating Hill48 anisotropy plastic theory were successfully calibrated. The Ayyada model showed good agreement with experimental FFLD as compared to all other models. The fracture limit determined experimentally and using the Ayyada model was implemented in the finite element simulation of the IHF process to predict the formability in terms of in-plane strain distribution, forming forces, and thickness distribution. The predicted results matched accurately with the experimental data within a 6% error for all investigated conditions. Noticeably, the strain path in IHF had three deformation modes viz. plane strain, bi-axial stretching, and uni-axial tension, which was comprehended using texture analyses. Finally, irrespective of the initial pre-cut hole diameter, the surface roughness was found to decrease with the number of stages of the IHF process.