Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of tailored hot stamping of boron steel by partial heating

Abstract

For the purpose of manufacturing the automotive body structure parts with tailored properties, the hot stamping process with partial heating was experimentally and numerically investigated. In this study, the deformation behaviors of the steel 22MnB5 with the fully and incompletely austenitized microstructure were studied by hot tensile testing and modeled by the modified Zerilli–Armstrong constitutive equations taking the lattice structure into account. The classical Kirkaldy–Venugopalan transformation kinetics equations were modified to be suitable for the investigated steel, and the diffusional phase transformation equations were calibrated by using the continuous cooling transformation data. By the virtue of user subroutine VUHARD in finite element program ABAQUS, the metallurgical-field coupled finite element model was established for simulating the hot stamping process with partial heating. A special fixture was developed to realize the partial heating process of circular sheet blank. The finite element simulation and experimental research were carried out for a cup-shaped part. Finally, the phase distribution, hardness variation, shape error, and thickness variation of the cup-shaped part were analyzed and discussed. The validity and accuracy of the constitutive model and the transformation kinetics model were verified by comparing the simulation results with the experimental data. Besides, the present research results also demonstrate the hot stamping parts with variable mechanical properties can be manufactured by changing the austenitization degree of sheet blank during the heating stage.