| Abstract Scope |
In metallic materials, deformation history can be erased by carrying out thermal treatments, through recovery, recrystallization, or phase transformation processes. The ductility of a strain-hardened metal can thus be regained, even after severe deformation processes. In principle, such treatments can be employed to improve the forming or stamping limits of sheet metal. However, resulting increases in processing costs and the material behavior uncertainty, reduce the use of thermal treatments, even in multi-step forming operations. Here, we present a study of the behavior of metallic material during interrupted forming and annealing processes. Combining electron microscopy based microstructure mapping, digital image correlation based strain mapping, and finite element modeling, we discuss potential materials design strategies, that would maximize the multi-step formability of sheet metal. |