Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Fracture in Roll Forming Process Using Lou–Huh Fracture Criterion

The present paper aimed to discuss the fracture in a symmetrical channel-shaped product during the roll forming process using Lou–Huh ductile fracture criterion. Employing the roll forming process is increasing to manufacture different products due to high manufacturing speed, and low cost. Fracture is one of the main limiting factors in the roll forming process. Abaqus FEA was employed to simulate the fracture phenomenon. To calibrate the Lou–Huh ductile failure criterion, uniaxial tensile, plane-strain, and in-plane shear tests were used to obtain three constants of the fracture criterion. To validate the numerical results, the experimental tests were carried out on a 6061-T6 aluminum sheet (thickness of 2 mm, bending radius of 1 mm, and bending angles of 30° and 45°). The results showed that the fracture was only observed at the bending angle of 45°. The numerical model was validated by comparing the numerical and experimental results. The difference between the fracture location in the numerical and experimental results was 12.4%. Moreover, the effects of sheet thickness, bending radius, and bending angle on fracture were examined using the Lou–Huh ductile fracture criterion.