Wellington Lopes

Effect of reverse and cyclic shear on the work-hardening of AISI 430 stainless steel

Sheet metal forming commonly involves various processing steps leading to complex strain paths. The work hardening of the metal under these circumstances is different from that observed for monotonic straining. The effect of the strain path on the hardening of materials is usually studied through sequences of standard mechanical tests, and the shear test is especially well adapted to such studies in sheet forming. Shear straining covering Bauschinger and cyclic strain paths were used in the analysis of the hardening of AISI 430 stainless steel sheets. The tests were conducted at 0°RD, 45°RD, and 90°RD (Rolling Direction) and for three effective strain amplitudes. The results indicate that the material presents Bauschinger effects and strain hardening transients that are sensitive to the testing direction. In addition, the cyclic straining leads to an oscillating stress pattern for the forward and reverse shearing cycles, which depends on the deformation amplitude.

Evaluation of the Work-Hardening of Brass Sheets Following Strain Path Changes

The strain paths followed by metals during sheet forming can be quite complex, especially when successive forming steps are involved. The work hardening of metals associated with these strain paths differs from that caused only by monotonic straining, such as simple tension or compression. It is important to have an adequate description of the work hardening of the material under processing, especially when numerical simulations of the forming are used. The experimental evaluation of the effect of strain path changes on the material work hardening is usually performed through tensile testing following the strain path changes. This technique, however, demands complex machining operations of the formed sheets and the imposed strain is severely limited by impending necking. The present paper utilizes simple shear as a tool for the determination of the work hardening of CuZn34 brass sheets following various strain path changes associated with combinations of different modes of deformation such as rolling, tension, cyclic and forward shears. The results indicate that the cyclic shearing delays the occurrence of plastic instabilities for brass previously tensioned, occurring the opposite for final monotonic shearing. These phenomena were correlated with the probable microstructural evolution of the CuZn34 brass.