May 20th - 22nd 2020, Brno, Czech Republic, EU
NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE BENDING OF STEEL SHEETS TRIP 304L
1
Amar BOUDEDJA, 1Aghilas HANNOU, 1Siham BEN ABDESSELAM, 1M. ALMANSBA,
1
Rabah FERHOUM, 1Malek HABAK
1Laboratory for the Development, Characterization and Modelling of Materials (LEC2M), University Mouloud
Mammeri Tizi Ouzou, 15000 Tizi Ouzou, Algeria
https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2020.3488
Abstract
Folding is a common industry practice. In this work we have studied the influence of some parameters such
as (the radius of curvature of the matrix, the coefficient of friction between the punch and the specimen, the
play between matrix and punch, the thickness of the specimen and the mesh of the specimen) on the
deformations of the different zones of the specimen, by a numerical simulation of U-bending using the
ABAQUS calculation code.
The studied parameters will prove to be of relevant use for the design of the parts from the metal sheets,
through the bending forming process. Numerical simulation is a good decision support tool for parts
manufacturing companies.
For the continuation of this work, a phenomenological model developed by IWAMOTO has been selected and
modified to include the evolution of the microstructure (from austenite to martensite) after deformation.
Keywords: Folding, TRIP steel, simulation, abaqus
1. INTRODUCTION
The manufacture of the parts from the sheets is generally carried out on presses, using a punch and a die. As
product quality criteria are becoming increasingly stringent in terms of geometrical precision and mechanical
performance, it is very often necessary to optimize the forming process. The success of a product
manufactured by stamping, embossing or more particularly by bending depends essentially on three
interrelated factors [1]:
• The physical characteristics of the sheet metal,
• Tool geometry,
• Lubrication.
Our work, which is based on the numerical simulation of the U-bending forming process in the ABAQUS finite
element calculation code, aims to study the influence of some geometrical parameters on the bending load,
such as the mesh, the thickness of the specimen, the coefficient of friction between the punch and the
specimen, the clearance between the punch and the die and the radius of the die.
A phenomenological model developed by IWAMOTO and TSUTA [2] was then chosen and modified to include
the evolution of the microstructure (austinite and martenesite) in steel [3].
2. THE USED MATERIAL
The material used is an unstable austenitic steel from the 304L family in the form of thin sheets. The (L) stands
for low carbon steel. The chemical composition and designation of the steel is given in the following tables [4]:
May 20th - 22nd 2020, Brno, Czech Republic, EU
Table 1 Chemical composition of stainless steel 304L
Elements C Si Mn P S Cr Ni N
(%) 0.03 1.00 2.00 0.045 0.015 18.18 8.04 0.10
Table 2 Material designation according to different standards
Norms EN DIN 17440 AISI AFNOR
Designations 1.4301 X5CrNi18-9 304 Z6CN18-9
3. NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF U-BENDING
In this study, we consider the operation of U-shaped bending of a specimen, made of TRIP 304L steel, using
a 3D numerical simulation, on the ABAQUS finite element calculation code, with a Static-General resolution
scheme, taking into account elasto-plasticity.
The principle of this operation consists of deforming a sheet metal held fixed between the die and the blank
holder, under the action of a punch, in order to obtain a bending angle which can in no case exceed a value
of 90°.
The dimensions of the specimen used are shown in the Figure 1.
Figure 1 Dimensions of the specimen used
The digital mock-up is shown in Figure 2 in the initial position. In this study, the tools are modelled by rigid
bodies, the specimen is meshed by eight-node quadratic elements, given by ABAQUS. Punches and dies are
generally radiated to facilitate shaping and avoid the initiation of rupture [5].
Figure 2 Digital mock-up of the bending of the specimen used
May 20th - 22nd 2020, Brno, Czech Republic, EU
4. STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF SOME PARAMETERS
4.1. Study of the influence of the mesh
We study the influence of the specimen mesh by varying the value of the size of the finite elements with which
we discretized it, in our case we will choose three mesh values: 1 mm, 1.5 mm and 2 mm (Figure 3).
Figure 3 Different mesh sizes and overview of the deformation with constant displacement u = 10 mm
The Figure 4 show us that refining the mesh increases the bending load, which is explained by the fact that if
the elements are very large the load are not calculated correctly. The mesh size must be fine enough so as
not to influence the results.
Figure 4 Load-displacement curves of different meshes
May 20th - 22nd 2020, Brno, Czech Republic, EU
4.2. Study of the influence of thickness
To demonstrate that the thickness of the specimen influences the bending load, the value of the thickness of
the specimen is varied as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 Thickness variation
In Figure 6, we see in his results that the bending load increases with increasing specimen thickness, which
is logical.
Figure 6 load-displacement curves of different thicknesses
4.3. Study of the influence of friction
We vary the friction coefficient to see its influence on the bending load, we take the following values: f = 0.09,
f = 0.2 and f = 0.3 (Figure 7).
The results given by the curves represented by (Figure 7), show that the variation in the coefficient of friction
installed between the specimen and the punch affects the value of the bending load; it increases by increasing
the coefficient of friction, which is explained by the considerable load exerted by the punch in order to bend
the specimen.
May 20th - 22nd 2020, Brno, Czech Republic, EU
Figure 7 load-displacement curves of different coefficients of friction
4.4. Study of the influence of gambling
In what follows we have proceeded to vary the play between the punch and the die (Clearance1 = 0.25 mm,
Clearance 2 = 0.5 mm and Clearance 3 = 0.75 mm), in order to see its influence on the bending load.
We notice in Figure 8 that each time the play is decreased; the value of the bending load increases, which is
explained by the important effects of the friction between the punch and the sheet metal. This resistance to
the advance of the punch results in an increase in the load required for bending.
Figure 8 Load-displacement curves of different sets
4.5. Study of the influence of the radius
To demonstrate the influence of the radius of the matrix, we vary it on ABAQUS, this allows us to obtain the
results given in Figure 9.
May 20th - 22nd 2020, Brno, Czech Republic, EU
The results of our simulation show that the load required for bending is higher when the radius of the die is
smaller. The smaller radius of the die results in greater deformation, the material becomes stronger and
requires greater efforts to bend the specimen.
Figure 9 Load-displacement curves of different radii
5. CONCLUSION
We presented the elasto-plastic model coupled with static deformation. We performed a calibration of the
parameters as well as their influences on the load-displacement curve, and we saw that the studied parameters
all have an influence, such as silk, on the bending load and the deformation of the specimen and thus on the
transformation of austenite into martensite.
REFERENCES
[1] PARNIERE, P. Appréciation des caractéristiques d’emboutissabilité des tôles minces, Mise en forme des métaux
et alliages [Assessment of the deep-drawing characteristics of thin sheets, Forming of metals and alloys].
Switzerland: Villars-sur-ollon Summer School of Physical Metallurgy, 1975, pp 305-330. ISBN:2-222-01917-6.
[2] IWAMOTO, T., TSUTA, T. Computation simulation on deformation behaviour of CTspecimens of TRIP steel under
mode I loading for evaluation of fracture toughness. International Journal of Plasticity. 2002, vol. 18, no. 11,
pp.1583-1606.
[3] IWAMOTO, T., TSUTA, T. Finite element simulation of martensitic transformation in single-crystal TRIP steel
based on crystal plasticity theory with cellular automata approach. Key Engineering Materials. 2004, vol. 274-276,
pp. 679-684.
[4] SIDHOUM, Z. Experimental and numerical study of the mechanical behavior and kinetics of the martensitic
transformation in 304L TRIP steel: applied to folding. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing
Technology. 2018, vol. 97, pp. 2757–2765.
[5] POUZOLS, V. Optimization of industrial folding operations by finite element method. Grenoble, 2006, p. 25.
Doctoral Thesis. University of Grenoble, France.
