Interrupted blanking experiments were performed to study the deformation behavior of AA6082 (T6) sheets. An intentional asymmetry was introduced by having the punch and the die of different edge radii. High-resolution microstructural montages of sheet cross-section were used to experimentally measure the shear strain field during each interrupted blanking experiment. This provided a comprehensive experimentally measured spatial–temporal shear strain field for the blanking process. The shear strain was found to be high and localized at the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet which was in contact with the punch and the die. The shear strain was observed to monotonically reduce and get diffused at the interior of the sheet. The strain distribution was also calculated by finite element simulations and found to be in good agreement with the experimentally measured strain distributions. However, the peak strains predicted by the finite element simulations were always marginally lower than those observed by the experimental observations.
Detailed high-resolution quantitative microstructural investigations were performed on AA6082(T6) sheets. The progressive deformations of a shear band formation were studied to understand the fracture mechanism in blanking process. The fracture characteristics of the alloys can be dictated by the intermetallic particles. Damage evolution of this alloy is quantitatively characterized as a function of strain. Intermetallic particles trigger the fracture in the blanking process. Larger, elongated and favorably oriented particles fracture first (with initial deformation) and with progressive deformation (blanking), smaller and rounded particles start breaking. These broken particles become the crack nucleus for matrix cracking and coalescences. Particle fracture increases with increase in imposed strain. For initial deformation stages, fragmentation of particles is taking place without significant void growth. But with subsequent deformation stages, fragmentation process has been enhanced with multi-fragmentation and re-fracturing of previously broken particles. Most probably, larger particles nucleate voids at much lower strains than smaller particles, and void growth takes place more rapidly at larger particles and they are the major contributors in the initiation of fracture throughout the deformation process. Crack has initiated in the shear band preferably from the punch side (punch side is sharper than the die side) and the cracks are found almost parallel to the loading axis.
This paper primarily discusses the current capabilities and future trends of Electron Beam Technology (EBT), which is a metal additive manufacturing (AM) process. EBT, comparatively a young technology, is used to produce whole metallic components directly from the electronic data of the desired geometry. Its applications have extended in various industries with broad attention to aerospace and biomedical fields. This paper discusses the diverse prospects of EBT mainly for existing and future materials design. Powder manufacturing and materials characterization techniques are noted down with a focus on powder metallurgical requirements. A vital parameter development platform is also discussed. Finally, the current challenges and the remedies to overcome the challenges with the future outlook are discussed and presented.
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