Experimental and finite element investigations of constrained groove pressing process on low carbon steel sheets

In this research, the constrained groove pressing (CGP) process as one of the modern manufacturing processes and as an effective severe plastic deformation (SPD) method was applied on the specimens of low carbon steel sheets, in order to improve mechanical properties such as tensile strength and micro hardness. The plates are subjected to repetitive shear deformation by utilizing grooved and flat dies. According to the die's geometry and the stability of sheet dimension, a large amount of deformation is induced into the sheet-formed specimens in each complete pass which consists of four pressing operation steps. In the present study, the effect of number of deformation passes on the sheet's mechanical properties was investigated carefully by means of tensile and micro hardness tests. The finite element simulations were carried out 2D condition, using ABAQUS software. The experimental results then compared with those of finite element analysis. The results which are closely enough imply that the hardness and tensile strength are related directly and strongly to the number of complete processes.