Mechanics of sheet-bulk indentation

Experimental work with aluminium EN AW-1050A shows that depending on the geometry of the punch, the physics of sheet-bulk indentation may exclusively involve plastic flow or may result from a combination of plastic flow and fracture to detach surfaces from the neighbouring regions of the blank through controlled crack propagation. Results also show that the mechanics of sheet-bulk indentation can be easily and effectively analyzed by means of sheet-bulk compression under plane strain conditions.