Forming limit curves of AA3105 on multiple temperature conditions: numerical investigation and experimental verification

Abstract

In this paper, Forming Limit curves (FLCs) of AA3105 aluminum alloy sheet were obtained at four different temperatures using the Nakazima test. A novel approach based on the Nakazima test was applied to fabricate the experimental setup for determining forming limit diagrams (FLDs) at elevated temperatures. First, the Nakazima-die-set was manufactured, and a thermal system was prepared for increasing sheet and die's temperature; then AA3105 samples were tested at four different temperatures experimentally. Moreover, the ABAQUS finite element software was employed. Three different criterions including the 2nd order of derivatives for major strain, equivalent plastic strain, and thickness strain were applied to estimate the onset of localized necking. The numerical results were verified by experiment. Both the experimental and finite element method results illustrated that the level of the forming limit diagram for the aluminum sheets improved by increasing its temperature. The forming limit improvement was not equal in every strain paths.