Effect of strain-path change on the formability of DP-780 steel and Zn20 zinc sheets

ABSTRACT The Forming Limit Diagram (FLD), frequently used to characterize the formability of sheet metals, is determined by assuming proportional loading histories up to the onset of necking. However, the limit strains are highly affected by strain-paths changes, which are very usual in real metal forming processes. The aim of this work is to analyze the effect of the loading history on the FLDs of a 0,9 mm thick DP-780 steel sheet and a 0,65 mm thick Zn20 zinc sheet by applying two-stage tests. The forming limits are studied under uniaxial deformation for the biaxially pre-deformed materials. The reference FLD was obtained by hydraulic bulge tests and uniaxial tests with different samples geometries. The limit strains of the pre-deformed DP-780 steel sheet are above the reference FLD, which reveals a non-negligible dependency between the material formability and the loading history. On the other hand, the differences between the FLDs of the zinc sheet are significant. This is attributed not only to the effect of changes in the strain path, but also to the continuous dynamic recrystallization experienced by the material at room temperature.