A new analytical method for determination of the flow curve for high-strength sheet steels using the plane strain compression test

A new analytical method to determine the effective tool width in contact with the sheet workpiece in the plane strain compression test, which changes during the test if a tool with a radius is used, is proposed. A detailed description of this method and the corresponding procedure of the flow curve determination for high-strength sheet steels are presented. The underpinning assumptions of the method are validated with the help of the FEA and the validation results are presented. Furthermore, with the help of the FEA, the main disadvantages of the plane strain compression test – strain inhomogeneity and possible tool misalignment – are investigated. It is shown that these disadvantages become negligible if a tool with a sufficiently large radius is used. The experimental validation of the proposed method was performed with the help of the uniaxial tensile test, the plane strain compression test and hydraulic bulge test on ten common high-strength and advanced high-strength sheet steels in the ultimate tensile strength range between 460 and 1260 MPa and the thickness range between 0.8 and 3.1 mm. The paper demonstrates that with the proposed analytical method for determination of the effective tool width, the plane strain compression test equipped with a tool with a sufficiently large radius becomes more appealing as a cost-efficient alternative to the hydraulic bulge test for the flow curve determination of high-strength sheet steels than it has been considered until now.