Experimental study of the plastic yielding of rolled sheet metals with the cruciform plate specimen

Abstract

In the current paper, an experimental technique for the evaluation of the in-plane yield loci of sheet metals with the cruciform plate specimen is presented. The measurement system is shown to conform to the optimized design concept proposed by other researchers. Finite element analysis demonstrates a reasonably wide area of uniform stress distribution in the center of the cruciform specimen, which allows the measurement of in-plane strain field by using a stacked strain rosette. Based on the designed apparatus, the yield loci of the 1100-F aluminum sheets corresponding to the as-received condition, and 25% and 50% thickness reductions by further rolling, were constructed, respectively, by applying biaxial loadings along the two principal axes of the cruciform specimen. A set of uniaxial tension tests were also performed to determine the plastic properties of the aluminum sheet along different directions with respect to the rolling direction. Finally, Hill's 1990 yield criterion is examined based on the experimental data from both biaxial and uniaxial tension tests.