A New Approach to the Evaluation of Forming Limits in Sheet Metal Forming

The forming limit diagram (FLD) is at the moment the most important method for the prediction of failure within sheet metal forming operations. Key idea is the detection of the onset of necking in dependency of different sample geometry. Whereas the standardized evaluation methods provides very robust and reliable results for conventional materials like deep drawing steels, the determined forming limits for modern light materials are often too conservative due to the different failure behavior. Therefore, within this contribution a new and innovative approach for the identification of the onset of necking will be presented. By using a pattern recognition-based approach in combination with an optical strain measurement system the complete strain history during the test can be evaluated. The principal procedure as well as the first promising results are presented and discussed.