Study of the Behavior of AHSS in Forming Design Phase with the aim of Predicting and Reducing the Springback Defects

Sheet metal forming is widely used in many applications but, among others, it is mainly utilized in the automotive and aerospace industries. It is a very popular manufacturing technique due to the high precision, mass production and short processing time that can be provided in production line. In the last decade, to improve crash worthiness and fuel economy, the automotive industry is increasingly, using Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) and aluminum alloys. The main reason to utilize AHSS is their better performance in crash energy management. However, the improved capabilities these engineered AHSS bring to the automotive industry accentuate forming problems already existing in normal mild steels. These concerns including higher loads on presses and tools, greater energy requirements, and increased need for springback compensation and control. In fact, springback is one of the leading roadblocks hindering auto stamping productivity. This paper aims at presenting the origin of springback, providing fundamentals, terms, and definitions to deeply understand the phenomenon and to characterize what causes it; to elaborate ways to rectify the springback angles by characterizing the material in FE simulations and by implementing compensation techniques in real stamping operations.