Predicting the Topology of the Bending Corner in Bending of Ultra High Strength Steels Through Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

In bending of plates, unlike the case of sheet metal forming, a 3-D stress state is valid. Moreover, apart from the some very specific cases, the plane strain assumption is not appropriate either. Therefore; bending of thick ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) plates is a deformation process where 3-D stress and strain states exist in general. This study basically focuses on the prediction of the bending corner topology with non-linear finite element analysis method, since the laser-cut edges of the UHSS are particularly prone to edge cracking during bending operation. Within the scope of this study, an experimental set-up is designed which consists of bending tools and a servo mechanical press. The samples were bent by means of this set-up in an air-bending operation up to 90 degrees. This experimental work was followed by optical scanning measurements. And finally, the FEA results and the scanning data were compared in 3-D space. The results showed good correlation. As a future study, the 3-D strain field of the bending corner will be tried to be measured by a professional digital image correlation (DIC) system which could probably give more precise data when combined with the data from FEA.