Experimental and numerical investigation of increased formability in combined quasi-static and high-speed forming processes

Abstract The formability of deep drawing can be extended by combining it with a subsequent high-speed forming method such as electromagnetic forming. However, up to now, no sufficient systematic understanding of the underlying principles or of a successful design of such coupled processes has been gained. Hence, in this work, a methodology for the analysis and design of such process chains is presented. This approach comprises a new method for the experimentally based determination of quasi-static and high-speed forming limits along close to proportional strain paths, a constitutive visco-plastic, anisotropic material model with a rate dependent ductile damage formulation, which allows for the accurate numerical prediction of forming limits for complicated forming operations under a largely varying strain rate, and finally the actual application of both to a combined quasi-static and high-speed forming operation. In doing so, material areas are identified that are deep drawn up to a degree immediately before necking occurs and then electromagnetically be formed beyond the quasi-static forming limit without damage. This proves that an extension of formability is here achieved due to a change in strain rate rather than in the strain path.