Identification of material hardening parameters by three-point bending of metal sheets

Calibration of hardening and partly viscoplastic parameters of the previously published material model was the primary concern of this paper. The method used for identification of the material hardening parameters for metals, the three-point cyclic bending of sheets, constitutes a basis for this work. Plastic hardening parameters were determined by comparing load–displacement curves from FE simulations with those from the tests. Since viscoplasticity is assumed, stress–strain curves from uniaxial tension tests at selected strain rates for strain-rate sensitive materials were employed to calibrate corresponding viscoplastic parameters. The optimization problems are solved by means of a commercial optimization code, LS-OPT, using a response surface methodology. The objective is to minimize (by the least-squares method) the sum of the differences between measured and simulated loads. The material parameters were identified for two high-strength steel alloys (ZSte340 and DP600, strain-rate sensitive materials), and one aluminium alloy (AA5182).