Formability prediction of advanced high strength steels using constitutive models characterized by uniaxial and biaxial experiments

• In-plane biaxial test was introduced to describe anisotropy of AHSS sheets.
• Formability was evaluated using three different yield functions including non-quadratic one.
• Non-uniaxial test-based data could improve the prediction for the formability of AHSS.

Sheet formability, as determined by the limiting dome height (LDH) test, was evaluated for DP and TRIP steel sheet samples. The LDH test was also predicted with finite element (FE) simulations using various constitutive models. Three yield functions, von Mises, Hill's 1948, and Yld2000-2d, were considered to examine the effect of the yield criterion on formability. The anisotropy parameters were determined from different experimental tests and their influences on LDH predictions were analyzed. For Hill's 1948 model, the coefficients were calculated either using the yield stresses or r-values measured in different tension directions. The anisotropy coefficients of the Yld2000-2d were determined using in-plane biaxial test data in addition to the conventional uniaxial test-based data. The stress-strain curves for hardening characterization were measured using uniaxial and bulge tests. The latter provides the flow stress over an extended strain range, compare with uniaxial tension, without showing instability. The constitutive models were implemented in a FE code with a user material subroutine. They were evaluated by comparing the experimental and predicted punch load–displacement and sheet thickness variations after forming in the LDH test. The results for this particular example demonstrated that the non-quadratic yield function and the hardening curve of the bulge test improve the prediction accuracy for sheet forming and formability analyzes significantly.