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The automotive industry applies Laser Welded Blanks (LWB) to increase the material utilization and light-weighting of the vehicle structure. This paper introduces a novel tensile testing method to characterize the hardening behavior of the weld material with a digital image correlation (DIC) and apply it as a constitutive hardening model in forming simulations with the LWBs of GEN3 steel. Formability tests under biaxial conditions were performed with LWB of GEN3 steel. Experimental results were correlated with finite element analysis (FEA) predictions that were conducted with and without the weld material model. The results show the weld material model for the LWB improves the accuracy of FEA predictions of both necking failures on the base metal as well as cracking on the weld.

The objective of this study was to assess the formability of two 3rd generation advanced high strength steels (3rd Gen AHSS) with ultimate strengths of 980 and 1180 MPa and evaluate their applicability to a structural B-Pillar for a mid-sized sport utility vehicle. The constitutive behavior including strain-rate effects and formability were characterized to generate the material models for use within AutoForm R8 software to design the B-pillar tooling and forming process. An extended Bressan-Williams instability model was able to deterministically predict the forming limit curves obtained using Marciniak tests. The tooling for the representative B-pillar was designed and fabricated with Bowman Precision Tooling and forming trials conducted for both 3rd Gen steels that had a thickness of 1.4 mm.

The superior formability and local ductility of the emerging class of third generation of advanced high-strength steels (3rd Gen AHSS) compared to their conventional counterparts of the same strength level offer significant advantages for automotive lightweighting and enhanced crash performance. Nevertheless, studies on the material behavior of 3rd Gen AHSS have been limited and there is some uncertainty surrounding the applicability of developed methodologies for conventional dual-phase (DP) steels to this new class of AHSS. The present paper provides a comprehensive study on the quasi-static and dynamic constitutive behavior, formability characterization and prediction, and the fracture behavior of two commercial 3rd Gen AHSS with an ultimate strength of 1180 MPa that will be contrasted with a conventional DP1180. The hardening response to large strain levels was determined experimentally using tensile and shear tests and then validated with 3-D simulations of tensile tests.

As the automotive industry increasingly adopts Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) for the vehicle light-weighting and crashworthiness, the edge cracking significantly increases in stamping AHSS. Different lab-scale test methods such as the ISO standard hole-expansion test and the half specimen dome test are available to evaluate edge formability. However, none of these lab-scale testing methods emulates production conditions such as various shear clearances, part complexity, and shearing speed associated with the mechanical or hydraulic press operation. To address these limitations of the available testing methods, a new punching and stamping test was developed. This paper introduces the simulation and experimental approach in developing this unique testing method to design the peanut-shaped hole that is sensitive to edge cracking in stamping.

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques are widely used in the manufacturing industry to control the quality of materials or final products. In the automotive industry, eddy current (EC) testing is one of the most extensively used NDE techniques for automatic in-line inspection of ferrous materials such as advanced high strength steels (AHSS). In addition, shearing is a very common forming operation in the automotive industry. With the increase of shearing clearance, the sheared-edge experiences significant work-hardening that normally decreases the formability of the sheared edge. In this paper, a novel, real-time monitoring NDE method based on the EC sensor was developed to characterize variations in shear edge quality for a DP980 steel. The developed NDE method was applied to scan the edges sheared at various clearances between 5% and 25% of the material thickness. The signal received was correlated with pre-straining introduced during the shearing process at various clearances.

The development and calibration of stress state-dependent failure criteria for advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and aluminum alloys requires characterization under proportional loading conditions. Traditional tests to construct a forming limit diagram (FLD), such as Marciniak or Nakazima tests, are based upon identifying the onset of strain localization or a tensile instability (neck). However, the onset of localization is strongly dependent on the through-thickness strain gradient that can delay or suppress the formation of a tensile instability so that cracking may occur before localization. As a result, the material fracture limit becomes the effective forming limit in deformation modes with severe through-thickness strain gradients, and this is not considered in the traditional FLD. In this study, a novel bending test apparatus was developed based upon the VDA 238-100 specification to characterize fracture in plane strain bending using digital image correlation (DIC).

Practical evaluation and reduction of edge cracking are two challenging issues in stamping AHSS for automotive body structures. In this paper, the effects of the shear clearance and shear rake angle on edge cracking were investigated with three different grades of AHSS; TRIP780, DP 980, and DP 1180. Five different shear clearances, between 5% and 25% of material thickness, were applied to the flexible shearing machine to generate samples for the half specimen dome test (HSDT). The shear loads and the shear edge quality were thoroughly characterized and compared. The HSDT created the edge forming limits as compared to the base material forming limit diagram. The load-displacement curve was acquired by the load-cell and the strain distribution was measured using a digital image correlation (DIC) system during the dome test.

Practical evaluation and accurate prediction of edge cracking are challenging issues in stamping AHSS for automotive body structures. This paper introduces a new hole-expansion testing method that could be more relevant to the edge cracking problem observed in stamping AHSS. A new testing method adopted a large hole diameter of 75 mm compared to the ISO standard hole diameter of 10 mm. A larger hole diameter was determined to be sensitive to edge cracking using the finite element method (FEM) based sensitivity analyses with various hole sizes. A die punching tool was developed to replicate typical production blanking conditions. An inline monitoring system was developed to visually monitor the hole edge cracking during the test and synchronize with the load-displacement data. Two AHSS materials, DP980 and TRIP780, and an aluminum alloy, A1 5182-O, were experimentally evaluated.

In vehicle crash events there is the potential for fracture to occur at the processed edges of structural components. The ability to avoid these types of fractures is desired in order to minimize intrusion and optimize energy absorption. However, the prediction of edge cracking is complicated by the fact that conventional tensile testing can provide insufficient data in regards to the local fracture behavior of advanced high strength steels. Fracture prediction is also made difficult because there can be inadequate data on how the cutting processes used for hole piercing and blanking affect the edge condition. In order to address these challenges, research was undertaken to analyze edge fracture in simple test pieces configured with side notches and center holes. Test specimens were made from a number of advanced high strength steels including 590R (C-Mn), 780T (TRIP), 980Y (dual phase) and hot stamp 1500 (martensitic).

As a result of the increasing usage of high strength steels in automotive body structures, a number of formability issues, particularly bend and edge stretch failures, have come to the forefront of attention of both automotive OEMs and steel makers. This investigation reviews these stamping problems and attempts to identify how certain material properties and microstructural features relate to forming behavior. Various types of dual phase steels were evaluated in terms of tensile, bending, hole expansion, limiting dome height, and impact properties. In addition, the key microstructural differences of each grade were characterized. In order to understand the material behavior under practical conditions, stamping trials were conducted using actual part shapes. It was concluded that material properties can be optimized to maximize local formability in stamping applications. The results also emphasize that the dual phase classification can encompass a broad range of property variations.

A highly ductile TRIP steel sheet has been developed and put into practical use to achieve weight savings in automotive Bodies-in-White. During deformation, TRIP steels experience a strain-induced transformation of retained austenite to hard martensite. This TRIP-effect increases the strength of the material and improves the formability by distributing strain over a larger area. In comparison to conventional high strength steel (HSS), TRIP steels have a superior balance between strength and ductility. The TRIP steels newly put into practical use at 590MPa and 780 MPa strength levels had equivalent formability to conventional HSS at the 440MPa and 590 MPa levels, respectively. Also it achieved equivalent coating quality, paintability and spot weldability to conventional HSS. Consequently, it was found that these TRIP steels can feasibly be applied to a wide variety of vehicle parts.