Numerical and Experimental Investigations on Springback of U-bending of DP600 Steel Alloy Sheet

The most prominent feature of sheet material forming process is an elastic recovery phenomenon during unloading which leads to springback and side wall curl. Therefore evaluation of springback and side wall curl is mandatory for production of precise products. In this paper, the effects of some parameters such as friction coefficient, sheet thickness, yield strength of sheet and blank-holder force on the springback and side wall curl in U-bending of DP600 steel alloy sheet has been investigated. The investigations have been done by computer simulation. In the simulations the ABAQUS finite element software has been used and the results compared to experimental ones. The finite element results have been validated from experimental results. After validation of FEM simulation via experimental results a powerful, rapid and efficient tool was introduced for investigating some important aspects and parameters of U-bending process such as blank-holder force, sheet thickness, yield strength of sheet and friction coefficient. MINITAB, a statistical software, was used to analyze finite element results. With the use of MINITAB, equations for prediction of springback and side wall curl radius by friction coefficient, sheet thickness, yield strength and blank-holder force were obtained.