Analytical springback model for lightweight hexagonal close-packed sheet metal

Experiments have shown that magnesium alloy sheet a common hexagonal close-packed metal, exhibits mechanical behavior unlike that of sheets made of cubic metals (X.Y. Lou et al., 2007, Int.J. Plasticity, 24, 44). The unique stress-strain response includes a strong asymmetry in the initial yield and subsequent plastic hardening. In other words, the stress-strain curves in tension and compression are significantly different. A proper representation of the constitutive relationships is crucial for the accurate evaluation of springback, which occurs due to the residual moment distribution through the sheet thickness after bending. In this paper, we propose an analytical model for asymmetric elasto-plastic bending under tension followed by elastic unloading in order to evaluate the bending moment, which is equivalent to the springback amount. To simplify the calculations, the experimentally measured stress-strain curve of the magnesium alloy sheet was approximated with discrete linear hardening in each deformation region, and the material properties were characterized according to several simplifying assumptions. The bending moment was calculated analytically using the approximate asymmetric stress-strain relationship up to the prescribed curvature corresponding to the radius of the tool in sheet metal forming operations. A numerical example showed an unusual springback increase, even with an increase in the applied force; this is an unexpected result for conventional symmetric materials. We also compared the calculated springback amounts with the results of physical measurements. This showed that the proposed model predicts the main trends of the springback in magnesium alloy sheets reasonably well considering the simplicity of the analytical approach. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.