A ductile fracture criterion is introduced into numerical simulation to predict viscous pressure forming limit of the automotive body aluminum alloy 6k21-T4. The material constant in the ductile fracture criterion is determined by the combination of the viscous pressure bulging (VPB) test with numerical simulation. VPB tests of the aluminum alloy sheet are carried out by using various elliptical dies with different ratios of major axis to minor axis(β), and the bugling processes are simulated by the aid of the finite element method software LS-DYNA3D. On the basis of the stress and strain calculated from numerical simulations, the forming limits of bulging specimens obtained are predicted by the ductile fracture criterion, and compared with experimental results. The fracture initiation site and the minimal thickness predicted by the ductile fracture criterion are in good agreement with the experimental results.
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