Experimental and Numerical Assessment of the Hot Sheet Formability of Martensitic Stainless Steels

Hot formed sheet components made of Martensitic Stainless Steels (MSS) can achieve ultra-high strengths in combination with very high corrosion resistance. This enables to manufacture complex lightweight sheet components with longer lifespan. Nevertheless, the hot formability of MSS sheets has not been accurately evaluated considering high temperatures and complex stress and strain states. In this work, the hot sheet formability of three MSS alloys under thermomechanical process conditions was investigated. Initially, mechanical properties of this sheet material were determined by uniaxial tensile test. Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation of a hot deep drawing process was performed under consideration of thermo physical calculated material models using the software JMatPro® and Simufact Forming® 15.0. The resulting strains and cooling rates developed locally in the work piece during the forming process were estimated. The numerical results were validated experimentally. Round cups were manufactured by hot deep drawing process. The resulting maximum drawing depth and hardness were measured. In general, all three alloys developed very good formability at forming temperatures between 700 and 900 °C and increased hardness values. However, they are highly susceptible to chemical composition, austenitization temperature, dwell time, and flange gap. A statistic approach is given to explain the correlation between hardness and its influencing factors.