New developments in tribomechanical modeling of automotive sheet steel forming

摘要

Forming of automotive sheet metal body panels is a complex process influenced by both the material properties and contact conditions in the forming tooling. Material properties are described by the material constitutive behavior and the material flow into the forming die can be described by the tribological system. This paper investigates the prediction accuracy of the forming process using the Tata Steel state of the art description of the material constitutive behavior in combination with different friction models. A cross-die experiment is used to investigate the accuracy of local deformation modes typically seen in automotive sheet metal forming operations. Results of advanced friction models as well as the classical Coulomb friction description are compared to the experimentally measured strain distribution and material draw-in. Two hot-dip galvanized coated steel forming grades were used for the investigations. The results show that the accuracy of the simulation is not guaranteed by the advanced friction models for the entire investigated blank holder force range, both globally and locally. A measurable difference between the calculated and measured local strains is seen for both studied models even in the case where the global indicator, i.e. the draw-in, is well predicted.