Experimental Characterisation of Damage Occuring during Single Point Incremental Forming of a Ferritic Steel

Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) has been developed as a new dieless process for forming metal sheets. This technique appears very promising in view of the current requirements for rapid prototyping and/or small series production [1]. However, inaccuracies in the shape of the processed part and material failure constitute important limiting factors for applications.

In the present research, a numerical approach, based on the damage model proposed by Gurson [2], has been chosen to analyse and optimise the process, predict the material rupture and the process limit. From experimental observations of plastic deformation and ductile fracture, damage is related to the nucleation, growth and coalescence of microvoids [3]. Gurson’s model uses the volume fraction of these voids as a main variable. Hence the determination of this value is a key factor for a correct identification and validation of the model.

More particularly, the present work focuses on two different methods used to experimentally characterise damage occurring during single point incremental forming of a ferritic steel. Void measurements carried out by optical microscopy combined with image analysis have been compared with porosity values obtained from density measurements based on the Archimedes’ principle [4], so as to assess the feasibility of using this method for a quick characterisation of the damage.