Determination of Forming Limits Based on Finite Element Simulations

Two categories of experiments have been performed to obtain the experimental forming limits of a ferritic stainless steel from uniaxial to equibiaxial tension, including Nakajima tests and tensile tests of flat specimens with different geometries of the central hole as well as the notched dog bone. The plasticity behavior of the investigated material is described using an evolving non-associated anisotropic plasticity model, which is calibrated based on experimental results of uniaxial tensile tests along different loading directions. A damage mechanics model is calibrated and validated based on the global force and displacement response of tensile tests. Finite element simulations of the Nakajima tests and the tensile tests of various geometries have been performed using the anisotropic material model. A novel spatio-temporal method is developed to evaluate the forming limits under different stress states by quantitatively characterizing the plastic strain distribution on the specimen surface. The forming limits have been independently determined from finite element simulation results of tensile specimens and Nakajima specimens using the spatio-temporal evaluation method. The forming limits obtained from numerical simulations of these two types of experiments are in good agreement with experimental results.