Influence of process and material parameters on the twist springback prediction of a panel

Abstract

Both advanced high strength steels and aluminum alloys gained increasing popularity because of the constant effort to meet the social pressure of reducing the vehicle weight while keeping their safety. The ratio between material strength and weight is much higher when compared to other materials but, the high springback after forming is one of the disadvantages of these materials, particularly when exhibiting twisting and side wall curl, which are the two most difficult types of springback to control and compensate in die engineering. This study analysis the influence of several material and numerical parameters on the prediction of the twist springback, using the Twist Die. Two processing conditions were considered: (i) blank-holder force that constrains the metal flow and (ii) a stake bead, which changes the forming conditions from draw to stretch forming, at the end of the process. The modelling of the elastoplastic behavior of the sheet materials uses a wide range of experimental data, for a DP980 steel and a 6xxx aluminum alloy. In addition to the effect of the sheet material on springback, the effect of the following parameters is also analyzed numerically: (i) friction coefficient; (ii) beads; (iii) modulus of elasticity; (iv) work hardening law and (v) yield criterion. All numerical simulations were performed with the finite element in-house code DD3IMP. The process parameter that most affects the twist springback is the presence of the stake bead, reducing significantly the springback. In addition, the reduction of the friction coefficient and of the elastic modulus also leads to an increase in springback. On the other hand, the yield criterion has little influence on springback of this component. The twist springback shows a different trend for the steel and the aluminum alloy that seems to be related with the different yield strength but also with the distinct gap between the punch and the die.