Effect of laser forming on mechanical properties of multiple-phase steels by using a thermal–microstructure–mechanical model

Abstract

Abstract Based on a forming temperature-controlled mixed strain-hardening law, a temperature-controlled thermal–microstructure–mechanical model was developed to predict the deformation in ferrite–martensite dual-phase steel before and after complex laser forming. Phase transformation in dual phase steel was predicted by coupling a kinetic transformation model with the developed model during laser forming. The corresponding algorithm of the constitutive model was used in three-dimensional finite element method to simulate the material deformation and mechanical properties during the laser forming. The simulated results agree well with the experimental results. Laser forming influences the mechanical properties of the material significantly, leads to bending deformation of the scanned sample and induces a ferrite-to-martensite transformation. The influence of scanning line number on the tensile strength and bending deformation of the scanned specimen was investigated. The tensile strength and bending angle are related positively to the number of scanning lines on the sample.