Ultrafine grains - a new option for light metals

The potential of ultrafine grained light metals is reviewed. The fundamental metallurgical processes, microstructures developed and properties obtained are first considered. Methods employing severe plastic deformation to achieve ultrafine structures are described and the obstacles to their industrial scale exploitation discussed. Recent advances include the incremental equal channel angular pressing (I-ECAP) process developed at the University of Strathclyde. Ultrafine grained materials are currently utilised in sputtering targets and high value medical devices, but large potential markets exist in the leisure and sports sectors, and in the longer term for aerospace and automotive applications

Thermo-micro-mechanical simulation of bulk metal forming processes

The newly proposed microstructural constitutive model for polycrystal viscoplasticity in cold and warm regimes (Motaman and Prahl, 2019), is implemented as a microstructural solver via user-defined material subroutine in a finite element (FE) software. Addition of the microstructural solver to the default thermal and mechanical solvers of a standard FE package enabled coupled thermo-micro-mechanical or thermal-microstructural-mechanical (TMM) simulation of cold and warm bulk metal forming processes. The microstructural solver, which incrementally calculates the evolution of microstructural state variables (MSVs) and their correlation to the thermal and mechanical variables, is implemented based on the constitutive theory of isotropic hypoelasto-viscoplastic (HEVP) finite (large) strain/deformation. The numerical integration and algorithmic procedure of the FE implementation are explained in detail. Then, the viability of this approach is shown for (TMM-) FE simulation of an industrial multistep warm forging

Contact Pressure Measurement System in Cross Wedge Rolling

In the cross wedge rolling process (CWR), plastic deformation is geared by a driving torque transmitted by friction on die surface. Friction plays a role which has to be further identified in this metal forming process. The local contact pressure between a cylindrical billet and flat dies seems to be a relevant parameter to characterize the severe contact conditions during the rolling. This paper deals with an experimental measurement technology, which has been designed and implemented on a semi-industrial CWR test bench with plate configuration. This measurement system using pin and piezoelectric sensor is presented, with an analysis of the system operation and design detail. Characterization of systematic error and calibration tests are then explained. Additional tests performed on hot steel preforms allow to check the ability of the contact pressure measurement system to resist under severe operating conditions. Realistic results for varying temperatures are then discussed

Application of the Upper Bound Theorem to indentation processes with tilted punch by means of Modular Model

Nowadays, the indentation processes are resuming it importance due to the new deformation processes that are being developed, as the Incremental Forming Process (IFP) or the Localized-Incremental Forming Process (LIFP) [1]. In this paper, a tilt punch is considered in order to cover the largest possible number of cases in the study of the indentation,. Thus, using combinations of flat and tilt punches, it will be possible to analyze complex geometries in future studies. Present study shows the analysis of the indentation process by the Upper Bound Theorem (UBT), when it is performed with a tilt punch. A modular model is developed, compound by two modules of Triangular Rigid Zones (TRZ) each [2], which adapts to the configuration of the punch.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Tailored sheared blanks produced by incremental ECAP

Incremental equal channel angular pressing (I-ECAP) is a process used for production of continuous ultrafine grained bars, plates and sheets. Normally the thickness of the processed billet is kept unchanged in consecutive passes to enable repetitive insertion into the same die. This is achieved by controlling the bottom dead centre of the reciprocating punch. However, if a final product requires being thinner and therefore longer, the bottom position of the punch can be lowered before the last pass. Going further, the bottom position of the punch can be changed during the process, which opens up a possibility to vary billet thickness along its length. Such a product, especially sheet, can serve as a preform for further metal forming operations and is known as tailored blank. This paper will show examples of varying thickness sheets produced by different configurations of I-ECAP. Experimental and finite element results will be presented

Phenomenological modeling of anisotropy induced by evolution of the dislocation structure on the macroscopic and microscopic scale \ud

This work focuses on the modeling of the evolution of anisotropy induced by the development of the dislocation microstructure. A model formulated at the engineering scale in the context of classical metal plasticity and a model formulated in the context of crystal plasticity are presented. Images obtained by transmission-electron microscopy (TEM) show the influence of the strain path on the evolution of anisotropy for the case of two common materials used in sheet metal forming, DC06 and AA6016-T4. Both models are capable of accounting for the transient behavior observed after changes in loading path for fcc and bcc metals. The evolution of the internal variables of the models is correlated with the evolution of the dislocation structure observed by TEM investigations

Tube and Sheet Metal Forming Processes and Applications

At present, the manufacturing industry is focused on the production of lighter weight components with better mechanical properties and always fulfilling all the environmental requirements. These challenges have caused a need for developing manufacturing processes in general, including obviously those devoted in particular to the development of thin-walled metallic shapes, as is the case with tubular and sheet metal parts and devices.This Special Issue is thus devoted to research in the fields of sheet metal forming and tube forming, and their applications, including both experimental and numerical approaches and using a variety of scientific and technological tools, such as forming limit diagrams (FLDs), analysis on formability and failure, strain analysis based on circle grids or digital image correlation (DIC), and finite element analysis (FEA), among others.In this context, we are pleased to present this Special Issue dealing with recent studies in the field of tube and sheet metal forming processes and their main applications within different high-tech industries, such as the aerospace, automotive, or medical sectors, among others

Surface recrystallization theory of the wear of copper in liquid methane

Copper was subjected to sliding against 440C in liquid methane. The normal load range was from 1/4 to 2 kilograms, and the sliding velocity range was from 3.1 to 25 meters per second. Over this range of experimental parameters, the wear rate of the copper rider was found to be proportional to the sliding velocity squared and to the normal load. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the dislocation structure in the copper very near the wear scar surface. It was found that near the wear scar surface, the microstructure was characterized by a fine-cell recrystallized zone in which individual dislocations could be distinguished in the cell walls. The interiors of the cells, about 0.5 micrometer in diameter, were nearly dislocation free. Below the recrystallized layer was a zone that was intensely cold worked by the friction process. With increasing depth, this intensely cold worked zone gradually became indistinguishable from the partially cold worked bulk of the copper, representative of the initial condition of the material

Microstructural characterization and simulation of damage for geared sheet components

The evolution of damage in geared components manufactured from steel sheets was investigated, to analyse the influence of damage caused by the sheet-bulk-metal forming. Due to the inhomogeneous and multi-axial deformation in the investigated parts, different aspects such as the location-dependent shape and size of voids are analysed by means of various microscopic methods. In particular, a method to characterize the state of damage evolution, i. e. void nucleation, growth and coalescence using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is applied. The investigations reveal a strong dependence of the void area fraction, shape of voids and thus damage evolution on the loading mode. The microstructural analysis is complemented with FEM simulations using material models which consider the characteristics of the void evolution. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Material flow during the extrusion of simple and complex cross-sections using FEM

This paper deals with the extrusion of rod and shape sections and uses a 3D finite element model analysis (FEM) to predict the effect of die geometry on maximum extrusion load. A description of material flow in the container is considered in more detail for rod and shape sections in order to fully comprehend the transient conditions occurring during the process cycle. A comparison with experiments is made to assess the relative importance of some extrusion parameters in the extrusion process and to ensure that the numerical discretisation yields a realistic simulation of the process. The usefulness and the limitation of FEM are discussed when modelling complex shapes. Results are presented for velocity contours and shear stress distribution during the extrusion process. It is shown that for most of the shapes investigated, the material making up the extrudate cross-sections originates from differing regions of virgin material within the billet. The outside surface of the extrudate originates from the material moving along the dead metal zone (DMZ) and the core of the extrudate from the central deformation zone. The FE program appears to predict all the major characteristics of the flow observed macroscopically