While the third generation of advanced high-strength steels (3rd Gen AHSS) have increasingly gained attention for automotive lightweighting, it remains unclear to what extent the developed methodologies for the conventional dual-phase (DP) steels are applicable to this new class of steels. The present paper provides a comprehensive study on the constitutive, formability, tribology, and fracture behavior of three commercial 3rd Gen AHSS with an ultimate strength level ranging from 980 to 1180 MPa which are contrasted with two DP steels of the same strength levels and the 590R AHSS. The hardening response to large strain levels was determined experimentally using tensile and shear tests and then evaluated in 3D simulations of tensile tests. In general, the strain rate sensitivity of the two 3rd Gen 1180 AHSS was significantly different as one grade exhibited larger transformation-induced behavior. The in-plane formability of the three 1180 MPa steels was similar but with a stark contrast in the local formability whereas the opposite trend was observed for the 3rd Gen 980 and the DP980 steel. The forming limit curves could be accurately predicted using the experimentally measured hardening behavior and the deterministic modified Bressan–Williams through-thickness shear model or the linearized Modified Maximum Force Criterion. The resistance to sliding of the three 3rd Gen AHSS in the Twist Compression Test revealed a comparable coefficient of friction to the 590R except for the electro-galvanized 3rd Gen 1180 V1. An efficient experimental approach to fracture characterization for AHSS was developed that exploits tool contact and bending to obtain fracture strains on the surface of the specimen by suppressing necking. Miniature conical hole expansion, biaxial punch tests, and the VDA 238-100 bend test were performed to construct stress-state dependent fracture loci for use in forming and crash simulations. It is demonstrated that, the 3rd Gen 1180 V2 can potentially replace the DP980 steel in terms of both the global and local formability.
Advanced high strength steels (AHSS) are used extensively in the automotive industry in the ongoing effort to reduce vehicle weight. Their increased strength allows for the reduction of sheet thickness, and thus a reduction in mass, while offering formability and cost advantages when compared to other metal alloys typically considered for lightweight applications. DP980 steels are AHSS being considered for structural energy absorbing components; however, there is a lack of published information on their high rate behaviour. This paper presents the results of an experimental program that characterized three production DP980 steels from three different manufacturers at strain rates of 0.001, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 s-1. An electro-mechanical frame was used for the quasi-static tests, the 1, 10, and 100 s-1 tests were carried out using a fast hydraulic apparatus and the 1,000 s-1 experiments were carried out using a tensile split Hopkinson bar. The quasi-static hardening response at strains higher than the uniform elongation of about 7% was obtained by using a shear test, thus avoiding the use of inverse modelling techniques. The results indicate that the DP980 steels are moderately rate sensitive, with one of the materials showing higher sensitivity than the others. One of the materials exhibited a yield point phenomenon that appears to affect the behaviour of the material at 100 and 1,000 s-1, however, the reasons for this behaviour remain an open question. The data was fit to modified Johnson-Cook and Cowper-Symonds model to account for rate sensitivity. The results presented in this paper provide a tool for modelling the dynamic behaviour of DP980 steels.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.