Numerical and experimental investigation into hot forming of ultra high strength steel sheet

Hot forming of ultra high strength steel (UHSS) sheet metal grade 22MnB5 boron for channel components using water cooling is studied on a laboratory scale. After hot forming, the different microstructures such as martensite, bainite, and pearlite in formed component are produced, which are closely related with mechanical properties of formed component. The effect of forming start temperature and the contact state between blank and die on the microstructure evolution is investigated. In addition, the effect of processing parameters, such as forming start temperature and blank holder force (BHF), on the final quality of component, i.e., springback, that happens after hot forming of UHSS is investigated. It can be concluded that the forming start temperature has a significant effect on the final mechanical properties of formed components. The effect of forming start temperature on springback is examined in detail under a wide range of operating conditions. The higher the BHF and the forming start temperature, the lower is the springback after hot forming. Furthermore, thermo-mechanically coupled finite element analysis model encompassing heating of sheet blank, forming and quenching are developed for hot forming process. The stress distributions on sheet blank under different conditions during hot forming are compared to gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of springback. Comparisons show that numerical simulation results have good agreement with experimental results.