Mechanism of Springback-Free Bending of High-Strength Steel Sheets under Warm

Forming Conditions

J. Yanagimoto (2)1, K. Oyamada1

1
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract
Tensile loading-unloading tests of high-strength steel sheets in an elevated temperature range are conducted
using a 100kN servo-controlled hydraulic dynamic fatigue testing machine, aiming at clarifying the mechanism
of the springback-free phenomenon occurring in warm sheet forming. From stress-strain curves obtained by
the tests, it is found that the abrupt decrease in the springback of formed steel sheets at approximately 750K
in isothermal v-bending tests is mainly caused by high-temperature transient creep deformation. Also, from
the results obtained by the isothermal v-bending test, bending-unbending deformation observed at
temperatures higher than 750K, as a result of high-temperature creep, was found to have a secondary effect
in the springback-free phenomenon.

Keywords:
Sheet metal, Springback, Warm sheet forming

1 INTRODUCTION HSS-1
Amount of springback (deg.)

Automobiles require lightweight construction [1] to reduce (540MPa Pecipitation-

the amount of emission, and thus, the use of metallic
materials with a high strength per weight, such as high-
strength steels, for automobile body parts is increasing
rapidly in sheet-forming industries. The large amount of
springback after sheet forming of high-strength steels is
one of the major problems. Generally, sheet metal
forming at elevated temperatures [2] is effective in
suppressing springback, and hot sheet forming of steel is
beginning to be put to practical use in the automobile
industry as a die quenching process [3]. With the aim of
increasing formability, warm sheet forming has been
investigated for steel [4]; however, no investigations have
been performed on suppressing the springback of steel
sheets in the warm temperature range.
The authors previously clarified the basic characteristics
of springback in warm and hot sheet forming of high-
strength steels experimentally and analytically [5], and
found that the amount of springback is reduced when the
temperature of the plastically deforming (bending) zone is
higher than 750K, which is considerably lower than the
hot forming temperature, as shown in Figure 1. This
behavior could not be explained by the decrease in flow
stress at elevated temperatures [5]. We named this
marked decrease of springback in the warm forming
temperature range the springback-free phenomenon,
and also clarified that springback-free forming of high-
strength steel sheets can be realized in the warm forming
temperature range on an industrial scale [6].
In this study, the mechanism of the springback-free
phenomenon observed at warm forming temperatures
higher than 750K is clarified. Tensile loading-unloading
tests of high-strength steel sheets in the warm
temperature range are conducted using a 100kN servo-
controlled hydraulic dynamic fatigue testing machine with
a furnace. From stress-strain curves obtained by the
tests, it is found that the abrupt decrease in springback at
approximately 750K is mainly caused by a momentary
increase of high-temperature creep strain just after the
forming process. Also, isothermal v-bending tests are
conducted in a hot compression testing machine, and it is
found that the change of the bending mode from bending
to bending-unbending at higher than 750K as a result of
hardened steel)
Temperature
control
Temperature of bending zone (K)
Figure 1: Relationship between amount of springback
and temperature of bending zone (previous study) [6].
high-temperature creep has a secondary effect on the
springback-free phenomenon.
2 TENSILE LOADING-UNLOADING TESTS
2.1 Experimental procedure
Tensile loading-unloading tests are conducted using a
100kN servo-controlled hydraulic dynamic fatigue testing
machine with a furnace, as shown in Figure 2, aiming at
clarifying the mechanism of the springback-free
phenomenon in v-bending tests [5]. The structure of the
testing system is illustrated in Figure 3. The specimen is
enclosed in a furnace and the temperature at the
measuring point of strain is controlled at the target
temperature. Strain is measured with a strain gage (target
distance of 10mm). The specimen material is
precipitation-hardened high-strength steel (t1.6, 540MPa,
0.08C-0.26Si-1.09Mn, HSS-1), the same as that used in
the previous study [5]. The specimen size is
20x200x1.6mm (length of test section is 150mm). Figure
4 illustrates the correspondence of the tensile loading-
unloading tests to v-bending tests. In both tests, the
temperature of the plastic deformation zone is controlled
at the target testing temperature. The advantage of
tensile loading-unloading tests over v-bending tests is that
the stress-strain curve at the temperature-controlled point
can be obtained and the behavior of elastic recovery after
unloading can be investigated.

Annals of the CIRP Vol. 56/1/2007 -265- doi:10.1016/j.cirp.2007.05.099

 The test pattern (the time course of the test) is shown in
Figure 5. Solid lines in the Figure 5 indicate control
parameters and dotted lines indicate those affected by the
controlled parameters. Except for temperature, the
controlled parameter, such as load or displacement, is
changed in each stage. The test consists of the following
four stages:
1) heating to the target temperature and holding for 10
minutes (load controlled),
Figure 2: The 100kN servohydraulic fatigue testing 2) loading to the displacement of 1.5mm in 5 seconds
machine. (displacement controlled),
3) unloading to 0kN in 5 seconds (load controlled), and
4) air cooling to room temperature (load controlled).
Temperature Specimen Each test is performed using this pattern at each testing
temperature. The stress-strain data, shown in Figure 6
Strain for example, are measured in stages 2) loading and 3)
unloading. The strain recovery during unloading, that is
the amount of springback in tensile loading-unloading
PC test, is measured and discussed to reveal the mechanism
of springback of sheet forming at elevated temperature.
Temperature

Amount of springback obtained

in the tensile loading-unloading
controller 0.006
Displacement, Load HSS-1
0.005
Figure 3: Structure of testing system.
0.004
0.003
tests
Load
Load Decrease in
0.002 springback due to
0.001 creep strain during
Angle of unloading
Temperature bend 0
Strain control
200 400 600 800 1000
Test temperature (K)
Displacement Figure 7: Relationship between amount of springback
Strain obtained in the tensile loading-unloadingtests and test
temperature.
Figure 4: Correspondence of the tensile loading- 500
unloading tests to v-bending tests. HSS-1, 773K B
Nominal stress (MPa)

400
Increase of creep strain
300 just after loading process
Load
Temperature 200
Amount of springback
100
becomes smaller.
displacement A C
0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07
Nominal strain
Time Figure 8: Stress-strain curve obtained in the test at 773K.
1 2 3 4
Figure 5: Test pattern. 2.2 Results and discussion
Elastic recovery, observed as BC in the stress-strain
Stress curve in Figure 6 for example, causes springback in the
bending process. Therefore, in this study, the difference
in the amount of strain between just after loading at B and
just after unloading at C in Figure 6 is considered as the
amount of springback.
Figure 7 shows the relationship between the amount of
springback determined from stress-strain curves obtained
in tensile loading-unloading tests and the test
Springback temperature. It is clear that the amount of springback
Strain decreases markedly when the temperature of the strain
A C B
measurement point, or plastically deforming zone, is
Figure 6: Example of stress-strain curve obtained in the higher than 750K. The tendency shown in Figure 7 is very
test. similar to the tendency in the result of v-bending tests
shown in Figure 1. The stress-strain curve obtained in the

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test at 773K is shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8 the line target temperature as an input signal, the electric current
from A to B indicates the stage 2) loading process of the of induction heating is controlled by PID feedback, as
test pattern shown in Figure 5, and the line from B to C illustrated in Figure 12. The test pattern is shown in
indicates the stage 3) unloading process. The amount of Figure 13, and experimental conditions are summarized
springback is obtained as the difference in the amount of in Table 1. The temperature in the plastic deformation
strain between B and C. From Figure 8, it is clear that the (bending) zone is maintained at the target test
marked decrease of springback at 773K in Figure 7 is temperature while the test piece is being bent by the
caused by the increase of high-temperature creep strain punch and die. The test piece material is precipitation-
just after loading process AB, and as a result, springback hardened steel HSS-1, the same as that used in the
for the punch angle decreases. In general, it is said that previously described test (chapter 2) and in the previous
tensile creep behavior and compressive creep behavior study [5]. Other conditions are the same as those in the
are different, but they are almost the same for such a previous study [5].
short time as that for v-bending in the tensile or
compressive creep test [7], and the amount of creep
strain depends on stress, rather than total strain in the
forming process. Therefore, the marked decrease of
springback after v-bending, which includes tensile and
compressive deformation zones, can be explained by the
increase of high-temperature creep strain in the releasing
(unloading) process, as shown in Figure 8. From Figure 8,
the influence of high-temperature creep strain on the
springback-free phenomenon in v-bending can be
determined, and it is illustrated in Figure 9. The bending
angle just after forming becomes slightly smaller than the
punch angle. As a result, the amount of springback of the Figure 10: Hot compression testing machine.
sheet metal for the punch angle decreases.
As for the precipitation hardened steel sheet HSS-1, its 30 30
metallurgical state is unchanged even at elevated
temperature of 773K. This had been proven by the fact
90 90
that tensile strength of heated HSS-1 specimen at room R2 deg. R2 deg.
temperature is almost the same as the specimen which
had not experienced heating. This result can be
confirmed by the fact that precipitated particle as Nb (C,
N) is stable at elevated temperature. R0.5 R0.5

12 8
(a) Die A (b) Die B
Figure 11: Geometries of dies and test piece.

Target PID Control signal

Figure 9: Mechanism of springback reduction due to high- T (K)
temperature controller
temperature creep in releasing process.

3 ISOTHERMAL V-BENDING TESTS t (s)

3.1 Experimental procedure Test piece

Aiming at confirming the effect of changes in the forming Induction coil
conditions on the springback-free phenomenon, v-
bending tests with smaller die shoulder width are
Electric current of induction heating
performed with the precise control of the temperature in
the plastically deforming zone, using the hot compression Figure 12: Temperature-controlling system.
testing machine shown in Figure 10. Geometries of the
dies and test piece are shown in Figure 11 (b). In
previous v-bending tests (shown in Figure 1) [5], in which
Die A (die shoulder width of 12mm) shown in Figure 11 Temperature
(a) was used, bending-unbending deformation was Holding at temperature T
T
observed at temperatures higher than 750K, which is
Air cooling
where the springback-free phenomenon is observed,
whereas only bending deformation was observed at less Heating
than 750K. In this report, Die B (die shoulder width of
8mm), shown in Figure 11 (b), is used in order to induce
only bending deformation, not bending-unbending
deformation, at temperatures higher than 750K. 0
time
The temperature of the test piece is controlled at the
target testing temperature by induction heating. A Forming
thermocouple is welded at the position of the test piece Y
where the temperature is to be controlled precisely, as Punch stroke
shown by the red point in the test piece in Figure 11 (b).
Using the deviation of the measured temperature from the Figure 13: Test pattern.

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 Die metal Tungsten carbide 8

Amount of springback (deg.)

Sheet Precipitation-hardened steel HSS-1 7
material (540MPa, 0.08C-0.26Si-1.09Mn, t1.6) 6
Heating rate 50K/s 5
Punch speed 1mm/s 4
Punch stroke 2.508mm (W=8)

3
{Cf. 4.5mm (w=12)} 2
HSS-1
Table 1: Experimental conditions. 1
0
200 400 600 800 1000 1200
3.2 Results and discussion
Temperature of bending zone (K)
Figure 14 shows the relationship between the amount of
springback -W 8 and the temperature of the bending Figure 14: Relationship between amount of springback
and temperature of bending zone.
zone when the die shoulder width is 8mm, and Figure 15
shows the difference in springback 2.5 Bending

Difference of springback with

( '-W '-W 8  '-W 12 ) between this result '-W 8 and '-W

die shoulder width (deg.)

HSS-1 8
2
the previous result '-W 12 (die shoulder width of 12mm)
shown in Figure 1. Compared with the previous result (die 1.5 '-W '-W  '-W
8 12 Difference in
shoulder width of 12mm), the amount of springback in this 1 bending mode
test at temperatures below 750K is almost the same, but Bending-unbending
when the temperature of the bending zone is higher than 0.5 Bending
750K, the amount of springback in this test is about 2 '-W 12
0
degrees larger than that in the previous test. Therefore,
apparent decrease in springback of 2 degrees according -0.5200 400 600 800 1000 1200
to the increase in die shoulder width w is caused by the
-1
bending-unbending deformation at temperatures higher Temperature of bending zone (K)
than 750K.
Figure 15: Difference in springback between the present
According to the previous study [5], recovery and partial result (W=8) and previous result (W=12).
ferrite recrystallization occur in the formed test piece at
temperatures higher than 750K. Thus, bending hardness
becomes lower and high-temperature creep deformation
occurs easily at temperatures higher than 750K.
Therefore, the bending mode changes from bending to
bending-unbending at temperatures higher than 750K. It
is clear that the bending moment of the test piece in
bending-unbending is smaller than that in only bending,
as shown in Figure 16. Therefore, springback markedly (a) Temperatures below 750K (b) Higer than 750K
decreases as a result of changes in the bending mode at
temperatures higher than 750K. Figure 16: Mechanism of springback reduction due to
high-temperature creep in forming process.

4 CONCLUSION
The mechanism of the springback-free phenomenon in
warm sheet forming at temperatures higher than 750K
observed in the previous study [5] was clarified.
In the forming process, bending-unbending occurs as a
result of high-temperature creep at the temperature at
which the springback-free phenomenon occurs, that is,
higher than 750K, and bending moment decreases. As a
result, the amount of springback decreases.
In the releasing process, the bending angle just after
forming process changes in the direction of overbending
as a result of the increase of high-temperature creep at
temperatures higher than 750K. Then, the amount of
springback for the punch angle decreases.
Flow stress is gradually decreased at elevated
temperature, but we can not observe the abrupt decrease
in flow stress above 750K as can be seen in springback in
Figure 1. The apparent Young's modulus which can be
estimated by the slope of stress-strain curve decreases at
elevated temperature, but the Young's modulus which is
estimated as this already includes the effect of transient
creep strain. Thus, we could say that the flow stress as
well as the Young's modulus are the minor cause of
springback-free phenomenon, and the major cause is the
creep deformation as is discussed in this article.
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